Background Oral mucositis is often challenging to manage as the lesions can be very painful. It can compromise nutrition, oral hygiene and increase the risk of infection. It is important to develop oral formulations that enhance treatment compliance, improve the administration and ensure the effectiveness of the drug. Lozenges are described as an effective alternative to mouthwash, especially for their versatility, ease of administration and extended time in the oral cavity. Purpose To describe the developmental process and stability studies performed of an innovative formulation of nystatin and lidocaine lozenges for the treatment of oral mucositis. Material and methods An optimised lozenge formulation was developed. Different excipients such as gelatine, polyethylene glycol, sucrose, glycerine and gum arabic were tested. The aim was to obtain chemical and physical properties suitable for administration, storage and therapeutic compliance. Full pharmaceutical quality testing was carried out, specifically for this dosage form including disintegration and dissolution testing performed with artificial saliva. Appropriate stability-indicating analytical methodology (HPLC) was developed to quantify nystatin and lidocaine. The microbiological and stability tests are still ongoing. Results A stable formulation of soft lozenges was obtained, presenting suitable palatability for oral administration. It can easily be compounded with standard hospital pharmacy equipment. The compounded product has suitable pharmaceutical characteristics, such as mass and content uniformity, disintegration time (15 min), dissolution rate and a pH value suitable for oral administration. Conclusion Nystatin-lidocaine lozenges can be an effective alternative to mouthwashes for the treatment of oral mucositis due to their versatility, excellent palatability and easier administration. This formula's major advantage is the fact that patients can control for how long the drugs are retained in the oral cavity and consequently manage their pain treatment. The process of clinical application will validate efficacy and optimum dosing frequency. References Marto J, Salgado A, Almeida AJ. Rev-Port-Farmacoterapia 2011;3(3):154–64 Strickley RG, Iwata Q, Wu S, et al. Pediatric drugs—a review of commercially available oral formulations. J Pharm Sci 2008;97:1731–74 No conflict of interest.


A 43-year-old woman referred to our gastroenterology clinic with dyspepsia and heartburn. In her medical history, she complained of epigastric pain and globus signs and took anti-acids periodically. She did not have weight loss and there was no family history of gastrointestinal malignancy. She had microcytic anemia, which was treated with daily ferrous (2 pills, 50 mg elemental iron). During the physical examination, only tenderness at epigastrium was noted. Clinical signs including globus Pharyngeus did not improve in spite of two months of treatment with proton pump inhibitors (PPI). Considering the patient's age, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was done and a small polyp lesion (5 mm) was seen in the upper esophagus  (figure 1). A biopsy sample was taken and H&E staining is shown in figures 2, 3, and 4. e upper part of esophageal and reported as an inlet patch in pathology.


Immune progenitor cells differentiate in bone marrow (BM) and then migrate to tissues. HIV-1 infects multiple BM cell types, but virus dissemination within BM has been poorly understood. We used light microscopy and electron tomography to elucidate mechanisms of HIV-1 dissemination within BM of HIV-1–infected BM/liver/thymus (BLT) mice. Tissue clearing combined with confocal and light sheet fluorescence microscopy revealed distinct populations of HIV-1 p24-producing cells in BM early after infection, and quantification of these populations identified macrophages as the principal subset of virus-producing cells in BM over time. Electron tomography demonstrated three modes of HIV-1 dissemination in BM: (i) semi-synchronous budding from T-cell and macrophage membranes, (ii) mature virus association with virus-producing T-cell uropods contacting putative target cells, and (iii) macrophages engulfing HIV-1–producing T-cells and producing virus within enclosed intracellular compartments that fused to invaginations with access to the extracellular space. These results illustrate mechanisms by which the specialized environment of the BM can promote virus spread locally and to distant lymphoid tissues.


Abstract : Jobbik, an ultra-nationalist party in Hungary, was founded in 2003. By 2010, this party had secured national parliamentary representation and sent three representatives to the European parliament. In its manifesto and public speeches, Jobbik has called for Hungary to leave the European Union and possibly the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and to forge relations with, among other Eastern countries, Russia, China, and Iran. Meanwhile, the group rattles sabers and nerves on Hungary s uneasy borders with Slovakia and Romania, states with significant Magyar minorities. This thesis seeks to answer the following questions: What will a Jobbik-influenced Hungary mean for Europe and the European Union confronted by political, social and economic turmoil that can swiftly has security implications? What, if anything, can the EU or NATO do to influence the path of a once-promising democracy in the heart of Europe and the resurgent nationalist conflict in Eastern Europe? This thesis concludes that Hungary will maintain its strategic usefulness to NATO regardless of whether it can maintain a Western-styled democracy NATO's other Allies will be content to defer action to other European institutions. The EU s previous attempts to influence far-right governments have failed and many of the EU's member states have human rights issues of their own The EU is not likely to take meaningful action against Jobbik. Therefore, it is up to the Hungarians to save their own democracy.


The influence of high electrical DC fields (>20 kV/mm) on aging, polarization and on the morphology of polyethylene (PE) is discussed. Infrared and positron annihilation spectroscopy measurements as well as capacitance measurements tend to suggest that the polymer morphology is modified by high fields. The author shows that the accelerated electrical aging characteristics of PE are linked directly to the morphology changes induced by the field. Below a so-called critical field, the activation volume of the aging process is dependent on the field-induced strain. Above the critical field, the amorphous phase is deformed significantly, and weak van der Waals bonds are broken, leading to another, faster, aging regime. There is an excellent agreement between the proposed model and experimental data obtained with various PE samples. The possible relation between the submicrocavity formation proposed in his aging model and various polarization measurements is discussed. It is his contention that strong charge injection occurs only after submicrocavity formation, i.e. after weak bond breakage. As is well known, the polarization currents obtained under high fields are controlled by space charges. It seems that the wave packets and the negative resistance observed at >100 kV/mm in PE are associated with a steady state in field-induced defect formation. This suggests that space charges are related to the formation of submicrocavities and, therefore, are a consequence, not a cause, of high field aging.


---------------------------------------------------------------------***--------------------------------------------------------------------Abstract In recent years, owing to frequent flow of digital images across the world over the transmission media, it has become essential to secure them from leakages. Due to the exceptionally desirable properties of mixing, sensitivity to initial conditions and parameters of chaotic maps; chaosbased encryption has recommended a new and efficient way to deal with the problem of fast and highly secure image encryption. The implemented image encryption scheme consists of an 80-bit secret key and uses chaotic map like Arnold Cat-Map and Logistic Map. The initial conditions for the chaotic maps are derived using the 80-bit secret key. In this cryptosystem, permutation-diffusion architecture followed by an efficient diffusion scheme is implemented. This scheme consists of two diffusion procedures, with a supplementary diffusion procedure padded after the normal diffusion. In the supplementary diffusion module, the control parameter of the selected chaotic map is altered by the resultant image produced after the normal diffusion operation. As a result, a slight difference in the plain image can be transferred to the chaotic iteration and bring about distinct key streams, and hence totally different cipher images will be produced. Therefore, this scheme can remarkably accelerate the diffusion effect of the cryptosystem and effectively resist differential attacks. Our project objective is to provide high level of security and satisfactory encryption speed for practical secure image applications.


Knowledge compilation is an alternative solution to address demanding reasoning tasks with high complexity via converting knowledge bases into a suitable target language. Interestingly, the notion of logical separability, proposed by Levesque, offers a general explanation for the tractability of clausal entailment for two remarkable languages: decomposable negation normal form and prime implicates. It is interesting to explore what role logical separability on earth plays in problem tractability. In this paper, we apply the notion of logical separability in three reasoning problems within the context of propositional logic: satisfiability check (CO), clausal entailment check (CE) and model counting (CT), contributing to three corresponding polytime procedures. We provide three logical separability based properties: CO- logical separability, CE-logical separability and CT-logical separability. We then identify three novel normal forms: CO-LSNNF, CE-LSNNF and CT-LSNNF based on the above properties. Besides, we show that every normal form is the necessary and sufficient condition under which the corresponding procedure is correct. We finally integrate the above four normal forms into the knowledge compilation map.


Most real-world data is stored in relational form. In contrast, most statistical learning methods work with "flat" data representations, forcing us to convert our data into a form that loses much of the relational structure. The recently introduced framework of probabilistic relational models (PRMs) allows us to represent probabilistic models over multiple entities that utilize the relations between them. In this paper, we propose the use of probabilistic models not only for the attributes in a relational model, but for the relational structure itself. We propose two mechanisms for modeling structural uncertainty: reference uncertainty and existence uncertainty. We describe the appropriate conditions for using each model and present learning algorithms for each. We present experimental results showing that the learned models can be used to predict relational structure and, moreover, the observed relational structure can be used to provide better predictions for the attributes in the model.


We report structural, electrical, and thermopower properties of epitaxial and topotaxial Na x CoO 2 thin films on (0001) sapphire substrate. Topotaxial Na x CoO 2 films were prepared by converting an epitaxial Co 3 O 4 film to Na x CoO 2 by annealing in Na vapor and epitaxial Na x CoO 2 films were obtained by pulsed laser deposition. All the films are c-axis oriented. For topotaxial films, annealing in different Na vapor pressures resulted in films with different Na concentrations, which showed distinct transport properties. For directly deposited epitaxial films by pulsed laser deposition, deposition parameters are found to control the Na concentration and hence the film properties. The largest thermoelectric power of the samples made by different methods is found to be similar in the range of 70-100 μV/K at room temperature


Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands lie near the east end of the Greater Antilles—a now dissected island arc—and are the link with the modern volcanic-seismic arc of the Lesser Antilles. The very large volume of modern data available on the islands, which is synthesized in this article, makes Puerto Rico perhaps the best known late Cretaceous-Eocene island arc. Segment: the 'segment' of the Caribbean island arc described here has a length, measured along the strike, of 400 km. Margins to this 'orogenic belt' against non-orogenic areas are not known precisely due to lack of information on submarine geology but the northern slope of the Puerto Rico Trench and the southern slope of the Dominican Trench may perhaps be suggested. The 'orogenic belt' thus defined has an average width of 300 km. Zones: the segment is described in terms of seven zones from north to south. The Puerto Rico Slope and Trench (zone 1), comprises the northern coastal plain and the submarine slope, trench and outer ridge; the Cretaceous to Miocene submarine strata and the Oligocene to Recent strata on land have been tilted and faulted. The Naranjito (2), Virgin Islands (3), Barranquitas (4) and Ponce (5) zones are all built dominantly of thick, early Cretaceous to Eocene volcanic sequences which are folded; related plutonic rocks are common in zones 3–5. The Parguera zone (6) has a dominantly sedimentary late Cretaceous to Eocene sequence, resting unconformably on a metamorphosed, gneiss and peridotite complex. The Dominican Trench zone (7) includes


Secondary neutron induced single event burnouts (SEB) in power MOSFETs to be installed in an X-ray generator located in a proton therapy treatment vault are characterized. This is done using both accelerated and in situ testing. Experimental techniques and schematics are presented that allow non-destructive testing of multiple MOSFETs in parallel for in situ real time measurements.


Nowadays, due to the development of the world, harmful gases and vapours have begun to enter the atmosphere significantly, so we are faced with the problem of air pollution and its low quality. This paper, therefore, focused on enclosed car parks, a parking system that needs to be well examined from an environmental perspective. It is not possible to predict in advance what levels of pollution from engines burning fossil fuels will reach in indoor environments. Because many factors can affect the concentration, such as vehicle type and fuel ventilation, as well as cumulative vehicle emissions in the environment. This study presents the relationship between indoor meteorology factors and pollutants besides evaluating the air quality in closed car parks by collecting the concentration of emitting pollutants. The data were aggregated from five garages in the centre of Konya province. The data were analyzed by using the program SPSS statistics 25. It has been mentioned the points that must be considered, measurements and suggestions to reduce air pollution in the car parks. Correlation coefficients showing the relationship between indoor air quality parameters and their importance levels were determined. According to the significance level, α = 0.05; It has been determined that there is a highly positive and significant relationship between indoor particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10). In addition, it was determined that there was a moderate and significant relationship between temperature and CO2 value. In addition, it has been determined that there is a weak positive relationship between particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and gases (CO2 and CO) values, and between CO, PM2.5 and PM10 and Temperature value. There was a weak negative significant relationship between temperature and relative humidity. When the measurement results were evaluated, it was observed that the PM2,5 and PM10 levels in all car parks exceeded EPA, WHO specified standards, but the CO2 and CO concentrations were at acceptable levels according to the specified values, suggesting that certain ventilation measures need to be taken to reduce the concentration of pollutants in the garage.


Evaluating lithium retention requires measurement of serum and urinary excretion lithium ion levels over a specified period of time following a single orally administered dose of lithium carbonate. We report the lithium retention of a matched group of acute manic patients and normal controls. Our results confirm earlier work suggesting that acute manic patients retain significantly more orally administered lithium ion than normal controls; that this difference is detectable by comparing amounts of lithium ion excreted in the urine, but not by comparing serum concentrations; and that this retention difference is apparent as early as six hours after the test dose administration and increases over a limited time.


The aim of this research study is to investigate the impact of social media multitasking on academic competence. Furthermore, this study also is looking for a moderating role of personality traits including, Openness, Extraversion, Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, and agreeableness. As to answer the research questions and hypotheses testing, researchers collected data from different universities that exist in Gujranwala, Pakistan, and valid response from 572 respondents was recorded, including teachers and students. The results were obtained by using M-plus software. The findings of this research indicates that social media multitasking has a significant negative effect on academic competence and indicated that personality traits significantly moderate among social media multitasking and academic competence except agreeableness which shows an insignificant moderation effect between social media multitasking and academic competence. This research study suggested that it is necessity for teachers and parents to motivate students for self-regulation of laptops, mobile phone and multi-tasking behaviors, the significance of encouraging students to acquire self-efficacy and learning. This is the first-time study in Pakistan which investigate a comprehensive model by using social media multi-tasking as an independent variable and academic competence as a dependent variable and drill the five dimensions of personality traits as moderators in this study.


Background: A steep increase in the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma has been observed between 1973 and 2001, but recent trends have not been reported. Our aim was to examine recent trends in esophageal adenocarcinoma incidence. Methods: We used the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database of the National Cancer Institute to identify all patients who were diagnosed with esophageal adenocarcinoma between 1973 and 2006. Incidence trends were analyzed for esophageal adenocarcinoma overall and by stage using joinpoint regression. Results: Overall esophageal adenocarcinoma incidence increased from 3.6 per million in 1973 to 25.6 per million in 2006. Incidence trend analysis, however, suggests that the increase has slowed, from an 8.2% annual increase prior to 1996 to 1.3% increase in subsequent years (P = 0.03). Stage-specific trend analyses suggest that the change in overall esophageal adenocarcinoma incidence largely reflects a plateau in the incidence of early stage disease. Its slope has changed direction, from a 10% annual increase prior to 1999 to a 1.6% decline in subsequent years (P = 0.01). Conclusions: The incidence of early stage esophageal adenocarcinoma seems to have plateaued. Impact: Although definitive conclusions will require additional years of data, the plateau in early stage disease might portend stabilization in the overall incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(6); 1468–70. ©2010 AACR.


Among the specimens dredged from Georges Bank in 1934 and submitted for determination was a fairly well-preserved, ramose cyclostomatous bryozoan belonging to the unusual genus Plethopora Hagenow, 1851, of the Cytisidae, species of which have hitherto been found only in the Cretaceous of Europe. In this genus the solid, cylindrical, branching zoarium consists of angular thin-walled tubes grouped in salient fascicles, or bundles, projecting at the surface in knobby elevations, or ridges, and separated by numerous nematopores, the adventitious, thread-like, angular, thin-walled, upwardly directed tubules. In the type of the genus, P. verrucosa Hagenow, from the Maestrichtian of Holland, the bundles of tubes open at the surface in elongate, rounded nodes; but in the present species the bundles are more elongate, narrow, and occasionally branched. Plethopora americana Bassler n.sp. (Stephenson, Plate 1, figure 18) Description. —Zoarium cylindrical, slightly flattened, with branches 3 to 4 millimeters in diameter, dividing dichotomously at . . .


Novel ZnO@CoFe2O4 and CoFe2O4 nanocomposites have potential applications on account of their high surface area and electrical properties. These two nanocomposite electrodes on nickel foam were developed for high performance electrochemical supercapacitor applications using a low-cost and facile one-step hydrothermal approach. The surface morphologies and electrochemical properties of the ZnO@CoFe2O4 and CoFe2O4 nanocomposites were examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge cycling, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The electrochemical tests indicated that the ZnO@CoFe2O4 nanocomposite electrode achieved a high specific capacitance of 4050.4 F g−1 at 10 mA cm−2 with a high energy density of 77.01 W h kg−1 in a 3 M KOH aqueous solution. This electrode exhibited attractive cycling stability and specific capacitance with approximately 90.9% capacity retention after 1000 cycles. On the other hand, the CoFe2O4 electrode showed lower specific capacitance (3499.9 F g−1) and cycling stability (50.07%) than the ZnO@CoFe2O4 nanocomposite electrode. These results highlight the potential of these ZnO@CoFe2O4 nanocomposite electrodes as electrodes for next generation supercapacitor applications in high energy density storage systems.


This paper presents a scalable algorithm for managing property information about moving objects tracked by a sensor network. Property information is obtained via distributed sensor observations, but will be corrupted when objects mix up with each other. The association between properties and objects then becomes ambiguous. We build a novel representation framework, exploiting an overcomplete Radon basis dictionary to model property uncertainty in such circumstances. By making use of the combinatorial structure of the basis design and sparse representations we can efficiently approximate the underlying probability distribution of the association between target properties and tracks, overcoming the exponential space that would otherwise be required. We conduct comparative simulations and the results validate the effectiveness of our approach.


Interview with Garvin Kowalke, a pilot during World War II. He discusses joining the Army Air Corps, going to Air Cadet training to become a pilot, and training on various aircraft (AT-17, UC-78, P-36, P-33, T-6, BT-13, B-17, B-29) before becoming a B-29 pilot; he shipped out to Guam and flew standard and fire bombing runs over Japan. He discusses having to ditch the plane on the way back to Guam once when the engines failed, seeing another B-29 crew have to bail out over Toyko Bay and get picked up by a U.S. submarine that was in the Bay, getting pulled down to the fires when they were trying to hide in the smoke to avoid Japanese fighter planes, and getting caught in a storm by Mount Fujiyama, as well as collecting data such wind direction, speed, and temperature over Hiroshima for future bombing runs, which turned out to be for the bombers who dropped the atomic bomb. He also talks about flying over Hiroshima two days after the bombing and gauging how high the radiation levels were at different altitudes. He also talks about being in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, becoming a B-57 pilot, and adopting a baby boy from Germany after the war, then a little girl while he was stationed in Hawaii after the Korean War.


A description of the noise generated in composition resistors due to direct-current flow is given, based on measurements of mean-square values of voltage fluctuations. Various commercial resistors including some film types have been measured in a study of the relationships between "current-noise" and several parameters such as dc current and voltage, dc power, resistance, duration of current flow, power rating, etc. A description of the measuring equipment and details of experiments and data analyses are also included.


Sustainability is a commitment to a new way of commissioning business activities that addresses balanced prosperity of social, economic and environmental dimensions of businesses. A sustainable business model is a roadmap for achieving sustainability and deals with the issues and dynamic relationships of sustainable dimensions of the businesses. A decision-making system that purports to support this sustainability commitment should facilitate development of sustainable business strategies, and translation of existing business operations into sustainable business processes. The system should also enable us capturing and managing sustainability related data for supporting the strategy development processes, business process reengineering processes and sustainability reporting processes. To achieve this goal we need a sustainable modelling and reporting framework that encapsulates different modelling processes e.g. decision support modelling, systems dynamics modelling, scenario modelling, simulation modelling, business process modelling, data modelling, and information modelling within a single framework. However, currently available sustainability modelling and reporting frameworks are neither integrated nor exhaustively backed by tools and technologies to support the sustainable business requirements; they also do not support the complete life cycle of a business transformation process. Therefore, businesses are facing increasing difficulty to develop, integrate and apply sustainable strategies and operations into their core business systems. This paper proposes a generic domain independent sustainability modelling and reporting framework that integrates various modelling processes for developing sustainable business models and sustainability reports. The framework encapsulates the sustainability models, modelling and reporting processes and aligns with the sustainable business framework.


A novel design of an electrostatic wobble motor is presented, which incorporates multiple concentric rotor-stator surface pairs to increase the space-usage efficiency and a segmented bearing for the implementation of synchronous control. The device has been successfully fabricated using the Lithographie, Galvanoformung, Abformung (LIGA) technique. The finite-element method is used to predict the available output torque, and the potential for extracting the useful output from the device is assessed.


Reports the findings of a study which examined the attitudes of East and West German managers to the process of strategic industrial change following German reunification. Acknowledges the importance of organizational and national culture, specifically in relation to the process of strategic management, and notes a number of dissimilarities between the perceptions of the two nationalities towards the changes. Their perceptions provide an indicative insight into the combined organizational/national cultures within which each group was socialized. Makes suggestions for possible future research in this area.


Consistent power and cost effective health monitoring has become the need of the hour especially for the unstable, chronically and critically ill. Here we present a novel architecture and algorithmic methodology combining the sensing subsystem, symptom summarization, and data transmission. Physiological parameters from multiple sensors feed into a severity quantizer and a subsequent multiplexer, the output of which is processed by the RASPRO engine to rapidly discover and alert any health criticalities. The architecture is optimized for communication and energy performance, and the algorithms result in lucid presentations to physicians. The whole system is the result of close collaboration between engineering and medical teams at one of the best known multidisciplinary universities, building on a multi-terabyte more than a million patient Amrita Hospital Information System (HIS) database, and is being readied for deployment on a large telemedicine network of more than 60 nodes in the Indian subcontinent and parts of Africa.


˚ ABSTRACT: The aim of this research was to investigate the radiographic, clinical, and histological features of cases of ameloblastoma from a period of 17 years in a Brazilian center and to explore potential differences in children and adolescents in relation to adults. Seventy-five patients diagnosed with ameloblastoma from 2001 to 2018 were included. Data from each patient including gender, age, histologic type, location, and radiographic characteristics were reviewed and analyzed retrospectively. The association between the clinical, radiographic, and histologic findings was investigated. No differences regarding the histological pattern of the lesions were observed between groups. Children and adolescents presented well-defined lesions associated with an unerupted tooth compared to adults (p<0.05). The presence of an unerupted tooth was associated with cortical erosion and expansion and MC displacement (p<0.05). Despite similar histologic characteristics, differential radiographic appearance was observed between young patients and adults.


When there's a diagnosis of follicular cyst. In front of lesions of advanced decay in deciduoud teeth about which is possible to presume chronical apical infection, we have to evaluate carefully the choice of treatment: pulpectomy or exodontia and the placement of a space maintainer. In this article there's a case in which a non-indicated pulpectomy was practised and caused a follicular cyst which is a menace to the formation and position of the unerupted permanent teeth. After the surgery we proceeded to exodontia and subsequently to place a space maintainer.


In the decades to come, the European electricity system must undergo an unprecedented transformation to avert the devastating impacts of climate change. To devise various possibilities for achieving a sustainable yet cost-efficient system, in the thesis at hand, we solve large optimisation problems that coordinate the siting of generation, storage and transmission capacities. Thereby, it is critical to capture the weather-dependent variability of wind and solar power as well as transmission bottlenecks. In addition to modelling at high spatial and temporal resolution, this requires a detailed representation of the electricity grid. However, since the resulting computational challenges limit what can be investigated, compromises on model accuracy must be made, and methods from informatics become increasingly relevant to formulate models efficiently and to compute many scenarios.

The first part of the thesis is concerned with justifying such trade-offs between model detail and solving times. The main research question is how to circumvent some of the challenging non-convexities introduced by transmission network representations in joint capacity expansion models while still capturing the core grid physics. We first examine tractable linear approximations of power flow and transmission losses. Subsequently, we develop an efficient reformulation of the discrete transmission expansion planning (TEP) problem based on a cycle decomposition of the network graph, which conveniently also accommodates grid synchronisation options. Because discrete investment decisions aggravate the problem's complexity, we also cover simplifying heuristics that make use of sequential linear programming (SLP) and retrospective discretisation techniques.

In the second half, we investigate other trade-offs, namely between least-cost and near-optimal solutions. We systematically explore broad ranges of technologically diverse system configurations that are viable without compromising the system's overall cost-effectiveness. For example, we present solutions that avoid installing onshore wind turbines, bypass new overhead transmission lines, or feature a more regionally balanced distribution of generation capacities. Such alternative designs may be more widely socially accepted, and, thus, knowing about these degrees of freedom is highly policy-relevant. The method we employ to span the space of near-optimal solutions is related to modelling-to-generate-alternatives, a variant of multi-objective optimisation. The robustness of our results is further strengthened by considering technology cost uncertainties. To efficiently sweep the cost parameter space, we leverage multi-fidelity surrogate modelling techniques using sparse polynomial chaos expansion in combination with low-discrepancy sampling and extensive parallelisation on high-performance computing infrastructure.


Abstract. This paper introduces an architecture design of airborne equipment integrated mounting shelf, including constitution of mounting shelf, design method, vibration isolation design,finite element analysis and calculation, etc. Mounting interface between mounting shelf and airborne aircraft is complicated; weight is limited; load on mounting shelf is big and mechanically severe environment must be met. Through dedicated design and simulation analysis, this product has passed each item of airborne environment tests and equipped in military.


Soybean meal (SBM) treated with 70% ethanol at 80 C (ET), nontreated SBM (NT) or a ureacasein-corn mix (UC) was fed to steers fitted with ruminal and duodenal cannulae to study ruminal N metabolism. Sodium chloride (NaCl) was ruminally infused at 0 or 500 g/d. Nitrogen supplements provided approximately 70% of total dietary N. Experimental design was a 6 X 6 Latin square with a 3 X 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Total duodenal N flows and non-ammonia, non-bacterial-N (NANB-N) flows were higher (P less than .05) when steers were fed SBM treatments compared with UC, and higher (P less than .05) when steers were fed ET compared with NT. Percentage of SBM-N escaping ruminal degradation was greater (P less than .05) when steers were fed ET compared with NT, and greater (P less than .05) when NaCl was infused into the rumen. Duodenal flows of total, indispensible and dispensible amino acids were increased (P less than .05) when steers were fed SBM treatments compared with UC, and greater (P less than .05) when steers were fed ET compared with NT. No differences in soluble N flows at the omasum were observed due to treatment. Bacterial protein comprised the majority of the N leaving the rumen. Both ruminal NaCl infusion and ethanol and heat treatment of SBM increased ruminal SBM-N escape.


Author Summary: In archaeology it is of interest to ascertain whether a particular Bronze-age field has been cultivated or not based on traditional archaeological evidences, but these often deal with one chemical element only, Phosphorous. We here augment this endeavour to include multi-element geochemistry characteristics. A pilot study sampling campaign was carried out (2014) on the island of Bornholm with the objective to discriminate between well-documented cultivated and un-cultivated Bronze-age agricultural fields based on multivariate data analysis (chemometrics) of soil chemistry (metal concentrations, ICP-MS). All samples originate from the same soil depth corresponding to the paleo-cultivated layer, or the equivalent depth in uncultivated fields. The experimental design focused on proper field sampling (Theory of Sampling), including replicate sampling at two levels. Applying Principal Component Analysis (PCA), the first three components corresponds to 68 % of the most discriminative variance in the 15 variable/41 sample array. The first and third PC-component reveals a complete discrimination of un-cultivated vs.3 cultivated fields; it is likely that general soil chemistry features are compensated for by the second component in the PCA solution. We present the specifics pertaining to the field sampling procedure, including the hierarchical two-level experimental design, which allow assessment of the local vs. field-wide heterogeneities in order better to understand the successful discrimination achieved. Five elements appear to be particularly involved in the discrimination [P, Fe, Mn, Zn, Pb], currently undergoing paleo-agricultural/geochemical interpretation. Based on these first results we plan a full test-set validation campaign in 2015 which will be the ultimate performance test for this type of archeometric discrimination. This contribution illustrates the versatility and power of multivariate data analysis (chemometrics) applied to data with a substantial proportion of potential sampling errors, in need of effective management (TOS).


This paper describes the application of life cycle assessment for evaluating various waste management options in Singapore, a small-island city state. The impact assessment method by SimaPro is carried out for comparing the potential environmental impacts of waste treatment options including landfilling, incineration, recycling, and composting. The inventory data include gases and leachate from landfills, air emissions and energy recovery from incinerators, energy (and emission) savings from recycling, composting gases, and transport pollution. The impact assessment results for climate change, acidification, and ecotoxicity show that the incineration of materials imposes considerable harm to both human health and the environment, especially for the burning of plastics, paper/cardboard, and ferrous metals. The results also show that, although some amount of energy can be derived from the incineration of wastes, these benefits are outweighed by the air pollution (heavy metals and dioxins/furans) that incinerators produce. For Singapore, landfill gases and leachate generate minimal environmental damage because of the nation's policy to landfill only 10% of the total disposed wastes. Land transportation and separation of waste materials also pose minimal environmental damage. However, sea transportation to the landfill could contribute significantly to acidification because of the emissions of sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides from barges. The composting of horticultural wastes hardly imposes any environmental damage. Out of all the waste strategies, the recycling of wastes offers the best solution for environmental protection and improved human health for the nation. Significant emission savings can be realized through recycling.


Based on my study "From tree felling to silver lining: diverse ways of funding elementary schools among Swedish ironworking communities, 1830–1930", I will discuss power and control of schools by funding.During the heyday of the Swedish iron industry, distinctive communities typically developed near the ore mining, extraction and processing centres. The early entrepreneurs focused their knowledge and capital on production in order to find ways to exploit local opportunities efficiently for the global market. This early modern entrepreneurship, which strove to control every aspect of the process, transformed social relations at the ironworks. A strong patriarchal spirit came to characterize these small societies, and the ironworks' early interest in school matters was tightly intertwined with the commitment of the companies' owners. As a head of the mill, the owner was expected not only to maximize its profit, but also to provide for workers and their families' safety. Consequently, the iron companies often subsidized churches, warehouses, schools and inns in the vicinity of the blacksmiths' and the other workers' housing.The iron companies were able to provide financial support not only to one particular school, but also to the parishes' school activities in general, which, in the cases considered here, involved several school districts.In order to answer questions about the expressions, extensions and proportions of private contributions to elementary schools, the study is based on information from selected iron companies' private archives, selected parishes' archives, and statistics produced by the Ecclesiastical Office. Data published by Statistics Sweden will also be referenced. The guiding intention behind drawing on these sources is to make use of the overlapping information they contain in order to provide a comprehensive overview. During the session, I will point out how the school districts were affected by the iron companies' support. What monetary contribution, and what types and amounts of non-monetary support, were provided? What proportion of the total elementary school funding was obtained from the private and public sectors respectively? How did these proportions change over time? In addressing such issues from the perspective of Pierre Bourdieu's extended notion of capital, this paper will be able not only to answer questions about the character, scope and significance of private funding; there will also be an opportunity to say something about the relation between power and the key process of transformation of economic inheritance into cultural capital.


A study of the 'political integration' of a minority group in a new state can undertake little more than to suggest the relative importance of positive and negative current responses to the new political environment, and the result will be an analysis in terms of movement towards or away from an essentially notional goal of integration. This technique may, however, have relevance in the older states too, where no integration of a minority, and common political identity between groups, should ever be regarded as immutable. On the other hand, while this study of the Buddhist Thai of Kelantan concludes on a pessimistic note concerning future trends, it is not intended to subscribe to the proposition that a plural society is by definition non-integrable. The plural society of colonial Kelantan was distinctly an integrated society, and the situation of the Kelantan Thai today is, on balance, still an integrative one. The observer's expectation of a future movement towards alienation arises from a projection of current political trends and a prediction that the changing environment will be increasingly perceived as hostile in terms of the Thais' received or evolving political values. The integrative ambience of today is likewise explained in terms of a consonance between the political environment and the values, or political culture, moulded by historical experience both colonial and pre-colonial - albeit a lack of political structure and leadership inhibit resistance. But more fundamental and unchanging than any value prescriptive of an ideal political or social system and roles within it, is ethnic identity, chiefly defined and perpetuated in the Kelantan Thai case by the Buddhist religion, More significant (for alienation) than an incipient political dimension of religious identification with Thailand may be a sense that democratic politics demands submergence of a minority's identity.


251 Abstract—Fluid Bed Reactors have been widely used in Chemical, Bio-Chemical and Petro-Chemical industries. The advantages of Fluid Bed Bio-Reactors (FBBR) are mainly Food, Pharmaceutical and Biological waste treatment sectors. In a fluidized Bio-Reactor, the particles can be much smaller and fine. During fluidization operation, the bed expands to accommodate microbial growth. The high surface area for biomass to grow results in high heat and mass transfer rates. This leads to isothermal and uniform mixing of particles tends to high concentration of active bio-mass per unit volume of reactor. This process also elimination of pollutants and toxins which are slows down the process. The problem of cell washout that aggravates operation of continuous, stirred tank fermenters is less likely in a fluidized bed, indeed it is impossible as long as the superficial liquid velocity is kept below the settling velocity of the solid particles. Aerobic Reactors require oxygen and depending upon this they can be classified as two phase or three phase FBBR. In the present investigation the general fluidization characteristics for Bio-Chemical processes was studied and compared with the literature. Three phase fluidization is an operation involving a bed of suspended particles in gas and liquid media. This occurs due to a net drag force of gas and liquid in the flow direction on the particles. Gas-Liquid-Solid Fluidization is considered in the present work as operating bed of fluidized solid particles simultaneously with concurrent upward flow of a continuous liquid phase and a gaseous phase dispersed in the forms of bubbles. In this paper mainly the experimental work of the author on FBBR & distributor design are discussed and estimated the Fluidization parameters namely minimum fluidization Velocity, Free Settling Velocity and Bed Stratification for calculating bio-film formation. Hence, the process of bio-film formation, its characteristics and properties need to be well understood to design and operate efficiently a FBBR and also important conclusions are drawn.


A seminal experiment involving a germ-free rat model of connective tissue breakdown (followed soon thereafter by a series of in vitro studies) identified an unexpected non-antimicrobial property of tetracyclines (TCs). This ability of TCs to inhibit matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) such as collagenase was found to reflect multiple direct and indirect mechanisms of action, and to be therapeutically useful in a variety of dental (e.g., adult periodontitis) and medical (e.g., arthritis, osteoporosis, cancer) diseases. The site on the TC molecule responsible for its MMP-inhibitory activity was identified which led to the development of a series of chemically modified non-antimicrobial analogs, called CMTs, which also have therapeutic potential but do not appear to induce antibiotic side-effects. Longitudinal double-blind studies on humans with adult periodontitis have demonstrated that a sub-antimicrobial dose of doxycycline (previously reported to suppress collagenase activity in the periodontal pocket) is safe and effective and has recently been approved by the FDA as an adjunct to scaling and root planing.


In nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, electroencephalographic cyclic alternating patterns (CAPS) express the organized complexity of arousal-related phasic events. As a translation of sustained instability of the arousal level, CAPS increase under perturbation and decrease under sleep-promoting conditions. After adaptation to the sleep lab, 18 subjects (12 with persistent psychophysiological insomnia and 6 without sleep complaints), all aged 40-60 years, underwent a random sequence of two nonconsecutive nocturnal recordings, one under placebo and one under an imidazopyridine hypnotic agent (zolpidem). The choice of this drug was oriented by its capability to warrant, at the selected dose of 10 mg, a physiological profile of sleep. Polysomnographic parameters and self-report of sleep quality by means of visual analogue scale (VAS) were assessed by analysis of variance followed by a Scheffé test when F statistics were significant. The placebo nights of controls showed a significantly longer duration of total sleep time (+60 minutes) compared with the placebo nights of insomniacs. However, no relevant differences emerged from the other traditional polysomnographic variables. Conversely, CAP rate (CAP time x 100/NREM sleep time) showed highly sensitive and consistent modifications. Under placebo, CAP rate was significantly higher among insomniacs compared with controls (62.2% vs. 38.5%). Under medication, CAP rate dropped to 26.8% in insomniacs, whereas it was only moderately reduced in controls (31%). CAP rate values paralleled the self-rating estimation of sleep quality, but the VAS means differed significantly only among insomniacs where a sharp average fall from 45 mm (placebo nights) to 15 mm (zolpidem nights) could be detected. Our findings suggest that CAP rate in sleep analysis can represent a useful tool for the diagnosis of insomnia and for gaining insight into the therapeutic efficacy of hypnotic-sedative drugs.


o,4'Abstract-Several NASA missions in various stages of development have undergone one-week studies in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Integrated Mission Design Center (IMDC), mostly in preparation for proposals. The possible role of satellite servicing has been investigated for several of these missions, applying the lessons learned from Hubble Space Telescope (HST) servicing, taking into account the current state of the art, projecting into the future, and implementing NASA long-range plans, and is presented here. The general benefits and costs of injecting satellite servicing are detailed, including components such as mission timeline, mass, fuel, spacecraft design, risk abatement, life extension, and improved performance. The approach taken in addressing satellite servicing during IMDC studies is presented.


Abstract:Review of decision support system (DSS) research and applications frameworks and literature review of hypertext research reveals many areas where further work may make a valuable contribution in the application of hypertext technology to DSS. These areas are discussed as they relate to user characteristics, decision and problem characteristics, situational and organizational factors, and technological factors. Some research topics that appear to be worthy of further investigation include hypertext's support of the human brain's hemispheric specialization, its isomorphism with generalized problem-solving paradigms such as the state-space approach, its potential to support collaborative work and group DSS, and many technological issues related to the appropriate content, structure, and representation of hypertext networks. In addition, hypertext may be used as a DSS research vehicle to simulate and study various user interface techniques and as a process tracing laboratory. Hypertext offers a great...


In Mongolian gerbils, global forebrain ischemia induces enhanced locomotor activity and the disruption of nest building immediately after the insult, followed by damage to hippocampal neurons developing 3 days later. Preconditioning by a brief episode of sublethal ischemia induces the protection of CA1 hippocampal neurons against a lethal ischemic insult. We examined how preconditioning with 2-min ischemia affects disturbances in the nest building behavior and locomotor activity induced by the injurious 3-min ischemia. Morphological examination confirmed that preconditioning significantly reduced neuronal damage in CA1 evoked by injurious ischemia. Behavioral studies demonstrated that preconditioning reduced the locomotor hyperactivity and latency in nest building after test ischemia, in comparison to sham or naive animals. The results indicate that the nest building test and measurement of locomotor activity may be used for an early in vivo prediction of the extent of ischemic brain damage and tolerance induced by ischemic preconditioning.


Stem cells enable regeneration by self-renewing and differentiating as instructed by a local microenvironment called a niche1–3. In most cases, the repair or replacement of tissues is fueled by tissue-specific or lineage-restricted stem cells that proliferate in response to local injury and apoptosis4–11. However, in organisms that regenerate using abundant adult pluripotent stem cells, the stem cell niches that support tissue repair have not been identified or characterized. Since these adult pluripotent stem cells are often more widely distributed and plentiful than lineage-restricted stem cells of other organisms, defining their microenvironments may uncover alternative forms of stem cell regulation12–14. Here we used unbiased spatial transcriptomics to define the cellular and molecular environments that support pluripotency in the highly regenerative freshwater planarian Schmidtea mediterranea. We determined that stem cells associate with a diverse collection of differentiated cell types, and these associations are highly dynamic during regeneration. We explored associations with two distinct cell types: secretory cells we term 'hecatonoblasts,' and intestinal cells. While both cell types regulate stem cell proliferation, their spatial relationships to stem cells defy the concept of a single regenerative niche. Thus, the planarian stem cell pool is likely maintained by a dynamic collection of distinct microenvironments that cooperatively power whole-body regeneration.


Pelvic tumors can be both complicated and challenging, and computed tomography (CT) has played an important role in the diagnosis and treatment planning of this condition. Cinematic rendering (CR) is a new method of 3D imaging using CT volumetric data. Unlike traditional 3D methods, CR uses the global illumination model to produce high-definition surface details and shadow effects to generate photorealistic images. In this pictorial review, a series of primary pelvic tumor cases are presented to demonstrate the potential value of CR relative to conventional volume rendering (VR). This technique holds great potential in disease diagnosis, preoperative planning, medical education and patient communication.


Federal prosecutors have immense power and discretion to decide when to bring criminal charges, what plea bargains to offer, and how to implement the federal government's legal priorities in their districts. While U.S. Attorneys take pains to emphasize their independence, we know relatively little about the extent to which politics colors federal prosecutorial staffing and decision-making. The Politics of Federal Prosecution draws upon a wealth of data from 1990s to the present to examine the interplay of political factors and federal prosecution. First, the authors find that congressional and presidential politics affect who becomes federal prosecutors and how long those individuals serve. Second, the book demonstrates that signals of presidential and congressional preferences, along with local priorities, affect key prosecutorial decisions: whether to bring prosecutions, how to approach plea bargaining negotiations, and when to utilize criminal asset forfeiture to cripple criminal activities. In short, the book demonstrates that politics affects the behavior of U.S. Attorneys at nearly every stage of their service.


This study evaluated the effects of using a heated anesthesia breathing circuit in addition to forced-air warming on bodytemperature in anesthetized rhesus macaques as compared with forced-air warming alone. Hypothermia is a common perianestheticand intraoperative complication that can increase the risk of negative outcomes. Body heat is lost through 4 mechanisms during anesthesia: radiation, conduction, convection, and evaporation. Typical warming methods such as forced-air warming devices, conductive heating pads, and heated surgical tables only influence radiative and conductive mechanisms of heatloss. A commercially available heated breathing circuit that delivers gas warmed to 104 °F can easily be integrated into ananesthesia machine. We hypothesized that heating the inspired anesthetic gas to address the evaporative mechanism of heatloss would result in higher body temperature during anesthesia in rhesus macaques. Body temperatures were measured at 5-min intervals in a group of 10 adult male rhesus macaques during 2 anesthetic events: one with a heated anesthesia breathing circuit in addition to forced-air warming, and one with forced-air warming alone. The addition of a heated breathing circuit had a significant positive effect on perianesthetic body temperature, with a faster return to baseline temperature, earlier nadir of initial drop in body temperature, and higher body temperatures during a 2-h anesthetic procedure. Use of a heated anesthesia breathing circuit should be considered as a significant refinement to thermal support during macaque anesthesia, especially for procedures lasting longer than one hour.


A simple method of quantifying the ELF (extremely low frequency) magnetic field distribution around electric appliances, which takes the harmonics into account, is newly proposed. The proposed method involves: (1) a simple estimation of the position of an equivalent magnetic dipole moment inside an appliance, using two magnetic field meters; (2) identification of the amplitude of the dipole moment magnetic-field measurements at certain points; and (3) calculation of the magnetic field distribution around the appliance using the estimated dipole moment. In this method, the dipole moment vector is assumed to be a similar value by allowing an uncertainty of 6 dB in the estimated magnetic field, which enables easy estimation of the dipole moment. In addition, the frequency characteristics of the magnetic field are taken into account by considering the harmonic components in the magnetic field waveform. The proposed method was applied to 13 types of appliances, and their equivalent magnetic dipole moments and harmonic components were determined. The results revealed that the proposed method is applicable to many electric appliances. The conditions required for the adoption of the method were also clarified.


Abstract The Lusatian Block in eastern Germany is part of the Variscan Bohemian Massif. It is located at the intersection of two regional fault–thrust systems that have been controlling the regional geological and landscape evolution since at least late Mesozoic times, the Elbe Fault System and the Eger Graben. Although the Lusatian Block has traditionally been described as a morphological high throughout the Mesozoic, timing, style and amount of denudation have not yet been quantified. Apatite fission-track (AFT) analysis of basement rocks yields ages varying between approximately 70 and 95 Ma, with mean track-lengths ranging from 13.6 to 14.1 µm. Thermal history modelling of the AFT data points to a minimum denudation of 3 km of the Lusatian Block in the Late Cretaceous. Onset of denudation can be related to transpression along the Lusatian Thrust as a main element of the Elbe Fault System. Moreover, the thermal history models provide tentative evidence for a second cooling–denudation event, which affected Lusatia in the late Palaeogene. This final denudation of at least 1 km probably occurred as a far-field response to the uplift of the northern shoulder of the Cenozoic Eger Graben.


A new formalism is developed for diffraction-free vector beams in free space. The solutions of Maxwell's equations are separated into two polarization modes, TE and TM. We discuss the validity of the method by applying it to a particular solution, the vectorial Bessel beam of order m.


: The diarrhea of swine dysentery receded in swine treated with 60 or 45 mg of tiamulin/L of drinking water (60 or 45 ppm). However, within 2 to 10 days (average 4.1 days) after drug withdrawal, diarrhea recurred. Tiamulin (22.5 mg/L in drinking water) did not markedly reduce the diarrhea during medication, and tylosin (66 mg/L in the drinking water) was not effective. In swine treated with 120 mg of dimetridazole/L of drinking water, there was no recurrence of diarrhea. After the recurrence of diarrhea in swine, repeated medication with tiamulin in drinking water reduced the severity of diarrhea and prevented deaths. After 1 to 3 retreatments, swine were immune to exposure with swine dysentery inoculum, and there was a significant (P less than 0.05) increase in their serum anti-Treponema hyodysenteriae antibodies. Seemingly, drug withdrawal permitted the occurrence and recurrence of diarrhea that was necessary to stimulate immunity.


Purpose To determine the incidence of steroid induced ocular hypertension following myopic photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Methods Myopic PRK was performed on 506 eyes of 269 patients. Preoperatively, spherical equivalent refractive error ranged from −1.00 to −5.00 diopters (D) and cylinder was less than 4 D. Baseline intraocular pressure (IOP) before PRK and at different time intervals after the procedure was measured by Goldmann applanation tonometry. IOP readings were corrected according to central corneal thickness as measured by Orbscan pachymetry. For the purpose of the study, corrected IOP >21 mmHg was considered as ocular hypertension. Results Ocular hypertension developed in 40 (7.9%) eyes overall, which occurred in 16 eyes (40%) 2–3 weeks postoperatively (mean IOP=23.5±3.0mmHg), in 20 eyes (50%) after 4–6 weeks (mean IOP=25.1±4.2 mmHg) and in 4 eyes (10%) 8–12 weeks following PRK (mean IOP=29.0±3.1 mmHg). There was no correlation between the level of IOP rise and preoperative spherical equivalent refractive error. IOP recovered to normal in all eyes after discontinuation of topical steroids and initiation of anti-glaucoma medications. Mean duration of IOP normalization was 28.5±27.7 (range 7–108 ) days and no instance of steroid-induced glaucoma was observed in any patient. Conclusion Topical steroids may cause ocular hypertension following PRK. Early detec-tion, prompt treatment and close follow-up are recommended. We suggest measuring IOP in post-PRK patients no later than 10 to 14 days after initiation of corticosteroid treatment.


Rationale: Primary gastrointestinal mantle cell lymphoma is rare, and histopathological examination and specific immunohistochemical staining are still the gold standard for diagnosis. Therefore, it is necessary to find a new way to improve positive biopsy rates. Patient concerns: A 58-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with epigastric pain, abdominal distension, nausea, and melena. Endoscopy identified submucosal neoplasms and diffuse gastrointestinal tract involvement including the esophagus. Diagnoses: A false-negative diagnosis was first determined by ordinary endoscopy. However, a large tissue biopsy was subsequently performed using endoscopic mucosal resection based on endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS). Pathological examination of the biopsy specimens taken from the lesions of the duodenum and rectum revealed diffuse lymphocytic proliferation and obscure nodular and small cleaved cells with irregularly shaped nuclei. Immunohistochemistry showed that the cells were positive for CyclinD1, BCL-2, CD20, CD21, and CD5; however, they were negative for CD3, CD6, CD10, and CD43. Interventions: The patient refused to receive further treatment. Outcomes: Mantle cell lymphoma was conclusively diagnosed. Conclusions: EUS has an important role in the diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal submucosal tumors. Performing a pathological biopsy including EUS may be useful for identifying the unknown nature of tumors of the digestive tract.


Scholars have recognized young people's educational expectations as a key factor in predicting educational outcomes, but few studies have attempted a comprehensive classification of how young people's educational expectations are shaped. In this article, I outline a typology of how young people from different social class origins shape their educational expectations. Drawing on 100 interviews with 15-year-olds, I find two underlying dimensions in young people's accounts of their educational expectations: how risk aware they are and how goal oriented they are. These dimensions translate into a heuristic model for understanding the structure of young people's educational expectations. I identify four major approaches to shaping educational expectations - the confident, the determined, the explorative, and the anxious - and show how these approaches connect to the young people's class origin. The typology of approaches offers a conceptual framework for understanding the mechanisms that lead young people to shape their expectations in qualitatively different ways.


In his book 'Higher Education in 2040 - A Global Approach' (2017) Bert van der Zwaan developed a thought-provoking vision of the university of the future, based on a thorough discussion of current trends and on a large number of conversations with leaders in higher education worldwide.

 This book, 'Places of Engagement', offer reflections on themes discussed by Van der Zwaan, written by twenty of his peers and other opinion leaders from around the world. The book was written in honour of Bert van der Zwaan at the occasion of his departure as Vice-Chancellor of Utrecht University.

 With contributions by John Sexton, José van Dijck, Karl Dittrich, Dilly Fung, Michael Crow and many others.


A weakly metastatic wheat‐germ‐agglutinin‐resistant mutant Wa4‐b I was previously shown to be less adherent to endothelial cell extracellular matrix than the more metastatic parental B‐16 melanoma cells. This report describes reduced adhesion and spreading of Wa4‐bI cells on the cell‐binding domain of fibronectin (CBD) and laminin (LN). Cell surface receptors which mediate such interactions are members of the integrin family of membrane glycoproteins. An antibody that recognizes the 3, integrin subunit inhibited spreading on both the CBD and LN. The integrins of the mutant cells immunoprecipitated by the antibody appeared to be structurally altered, showing a greater electrophoretic mobility. The mobility difference between the parent and the mutant receptors was abolished following removal of the glycan moieties of the receptors enzymatically using glycopeptidase F, or chemically using trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, suggesting that the structural alteration of the mutant receptors is in glycosylation. The altered receptors may be responsible for the observed decrease in cell adhesion and spreading of the mutant cells to the CBD and LN. Such a decrease in Wa4‐bI cell interaction with extracellular matrix components may play a role in their decreased metastatic potential.


Using a number of critical approaches, Michael Skau examines Gregory Corso's complex imagination, his humor, and his poetic techniques in dealing with America, the Beat generation, and death. Skau covers the complete works of Corso, one of the four major Beat Generation writers (with Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs) who attempted to provide an alternative to what they saw as the academic forms of literature dominating American writing through the 1940s and 1950s. The Beat option focused on ordinary people, spurning the cultural pretensions of the intelligentsia and using common language as well as the rhythms of actual speech. Corso, abandoned as a child by his mother, subjected to a variety of foster homes, and imprisoned as an adolescent, became an authentic voice of America's neglected streetwise youth. He embodies much of the tension, confusion, and rebellion that emerged in America after World War II and eventually crested in the 1960s. Corso emphasizes social issues, yet risks undermining this significance by using wit, wordplay, and humor. While conceding mortality, he is adamant in refusing to acknowledge death's power. Even as he rebels against conventional literature, he still is enchanted by classicism and romanticism, often borrowing their techniques and idioms. Skau examines these complexities and seeming contradictions throughout Corso's career, showing that Corso finds value in inconsistency and vacillation. For him, as illustrated in the poems "Hair" and "Marriage," contradiction and ambivalence suggest the foundations of freedom of imagination. In spite of Corso's significance as an American poet, Skau's is the first extensive study of his work, including his fiction. Skau also provides the first complete bibliography of Corso's published work in more than thirty years.


The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence and quantity of Lactobacillus species in the vaginas of healthy Chinese women. Vaginal samples from 92 fertile and 22 postmenopausal healthy Chinese women were analysed using a 16S rRNA gene clone library and species-specific PCR followed by sequencing and real-time PCR. A total of 13 different Lactobacillus species were detected. Species-specific PCR showed that 3% of the fertile women were colonized by one species of Lactobacillus and 97% were colonized by two or more species. Among the postmenopausal women, 91% were colonized by one species of Lactobacillus and 9% were colonized by two species. In the fertile women, L. iners (82.61%), L. crispatus (70.65%) and L. gasseri (67.39%) were more prevalent than L. jensenii (40.22%), L. acidophilus (39.13%), L. brevis (23.91%), L. plantarum (5.43%), L. johnsonii (3.26%), L. fermentum (2.17%), L. salivarius (2.17%), L. rhamnosus (1.09%), L. reuteri (1.09%) and L. paracasei (1.09%); L. delbrueckii was not detected. In the postmenopausal women, L. fermentum, L. rhamnosus, L. reuteri and L. delbrueckii were not detected, and the other 10 species were detected in just a few samples. The prevalence of these species according to the clone library differed from the prevalence indicated by the species-specific PCR. According to the semiquantitative analysis, the total Lactobacillus DNA concentrations were higher in fertile women than in postmenopausal women. Sixty-one per cent of the fertile women were predominantly colonized by L. iners, 35% by L. crispatus, and 2% by L. gasseri. Associations between pairs of Lactobacillus species in fertile women were significant (P<0.05) between the following pairs: L. iners and L. gasseri, L. iners and L. jensenii, L. iners and L. acidophilus, L. gasseri and L. acidophilus, and L. gasseri and L. jensenii. In conclusion, this study provided detailed information on Lactobacillus species colonizing the vaginas of healthy Chinese fertile and postmenopausal women. The study also showed that the diversity of Lactobacillus species in fertile women was higher than in postmenopausal women. According to our study, different techniques, such as species-specific PCR and comparison against a 16S rRNA gene clone library, resulted in different findings regarding species prevalence. These findings highlight the importance of standardization of techniques used for evaluation of bacterial communities. According to our findings regarding species associations, L. iners and L. gasseri may have influences on colonization and proliferation of other vaginal Lactobacillus species.


Wireless access in vehicular environment (WAVE) architecture of intelligent transportation system has been standardized in the IEEE 802.11p specification. The WAVE network supports the features of multi-rate and multi-channel and it is going to be widely deployed in realistic roadway environments in order to provide traffic information and convenient services. However, the adopted contention-based medium access control protocol, which confronts the performance anomaly problem, would severely downgrade transmission efficiency between road-side-unit (RSU) and on-board-unit (OBU) because they may use diverse data transmission rates to access channel. As a solution, this paper proposes the vehicular channel access scheme (VCAS) to group a number of OBUs with similar transmission rates into one channel to optimize the channel throughput, while the group sizes of channels are controlled in order to fulfill the fairness requirement. To flexibly compromise the tradeoff between throughput and fairness, a marginal utility model is proposed in this paper. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed VCAS with marginal utility provides a flexible way to handle versatile vehicular scenarios.


Peptic ulcer bleeding is treated using endoscopic hemostasis using clips or bands. Pancreas divisum (PD), a congenital anomaly of the pancreas, usually has no clinical symptoms; however, pancreatitis may occur if there are disturbances in the drainage of pancreatic secretions. We report an unusual case of PD accompanied by acute pancreatitis, following endoscopic band ligation for duodenal ulcer bleeding. A 48-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital due to melena. An upper endoscopy revealed a small ulcer with oozing adjacent minor papilla. An endoscopic band ligation was performed on this lesion. Acute pancreatitis developed suddenly 6 hours after the band ligation and improved dramatically after removal of the band. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography was performed, revealing complete PD. Endoscopic band ligation is known as the effective method for peptic ulcer bleeding; however, it should be used carefully in duodenal ulcer bleeding near the minor duodenal papilla due to the possibility of PD. (Korean J Gastroenterol 2017;69:248-252)


After several decades of research, the traditional modeling methods, such as geometric model,feature model and integrated product model, can't fully meet the integrated product information and the related knowledge that required. Meanwhile, lack of semantics, is not conducive to the using and sharing of knowledge. Semantic-based product design and process decision can shorten the product development cycle, reduce costs and allow the computer to participate in the design. Based on building of complex electronic products ontology and already been built OWL ontology file introduced into database, this paper combines Ontology model of complex electronic products with the semantic Web, studies a network design model based on the semantic Web and develops a product design and process decision Web platform based on semantic. The platform can realize product design, semantic search of the resources and decision of parts machining process, thus, to improve the productivity and enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of the company by the system.


The genes encoding the peroxisomal beta-oxidation enzymes enoyl-CoA hydratase/3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (HD) and fatty acyl-CoA oxidase (AOx) are coordinately regulated by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha)/9-cis-retinoic acid receptor (RXRalpha) heterodimers that transactivate these genes in a ligand-dependent manner via upstream peroxisome proliferator response elements (PPRE). Here we demonstrate that the monomeric orphan nuclear hormone receptor, RZRalpha, modulates PPARalpha/RXRalpha-dependent transactivation in a response-element dependent manner. Electrophoretic mobility shift analysis showed that RZRalpha bound specifically as a monomer to the HD-PPRE but not the AOx-PPRE. Determinants in the HD-PPRE for binding of RZRalpha were distinct from those required for interaction with PPARalpha/RXRalpha heterodimers. In transient transfections, RZRalpha stimulated ligand-mediated transactivation by PPARalpha from an HD-PPRE luciferase reporter in the absence of exogenously added RXRalpha, but did not affect PPARalpha-dependent transactivation of an AOx-PPRE reporter gene. These data illustrate cross-talk between the RZRalpha and PPARalpha signaling pathways at the level of the HD-PPRE in the regulation of the HD gene and characterize additional factors governing the regulation of peroxisomal beta-oxidation.


Determining the etiology of ulnar-sided wrist pain is often challenging. The condition may be acute or chronic, and differential diagnoses include injuries to the ulnar carpal bones, ligament tears, tendinitis, vascular conditions, osteoarthritis and systemic arthritis, and ulnar nerve compression. An anatomically based, methodical physical examination coupled with provocative maneuvers, including piano key, ulnar impaction, shuck, foveal stress, and extensor carpi ulnaris synergy tests, further defines the differential diagnosis. Diagnostic imaging used in the evaluation of ulnar-sided wrist pain includes plain radiographs and MRI with or without arthrography. Wrist arthroscopy is becoming increasingly important in the diagnosis and management of ulnar-sided intra-articular wrist pathology.


The present work aimed to make a technological forecasting about the neoflavonoids and its implications in treatment of neglected diseases (NDs). Thus, this research was carried out through a comprehensive and systematic bibliographic search in articles and patents. The articles were searched in the database of the Periodical of CAPES, Science Direct, Scopus, Pub Med, Web of Science and ACS Publications. The patent research was performed in bases of the INPI, EPO, WIPO, USPTO and SIPO. According to the results obtained, it was possible to observe that the neoflavonoids may be a new source of medications for the treatment of NDs, since were found studies that attributed activity for the treatment of malaria, trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis. Large part of published documents was in the form of scientific articles and a small part in the form of deposit of record of patent applications. In this way, this work can serve as an incentive of technological innovation for the development of new research involving neoflavonoids, seen that the record number of deposits of patent applications is still relatively insufficient to meet the current demand for technological and scientific innovation with relation to NDs.


This study aims to identify ways that efficiently reduce the energy consumption of the industrial sector. We use the logarithmic mean divisia index method to measure the impact of the various driving forces of energy consumption during the period 2010-2014. We then apply the index decoupling to analyze the correlation between energy consumption and industrial growth. The findings indicate that industrial growth is a major driver of energy consumption, while reductions in energy intensity and industrial structure play an important role in limiting energy consumption. In addition, energy consumption and energy intensity follow different patterns in each sub-sector; we therefore conclude that the application of different sub-sector policies is preferred over global policies. Globally, decoupling has not been identified during the period 2010-2014, however, decoupling occurs for more detailed year periods.


There is a great demand for low-cost disposable sensors in a variety of markets, such as the food chainand health care. No assay is performed more than that of glucose and approximately 85 % of the entirebiosensor market accounts for glucose biosensors. Each year, 6 billion glucose assays are performed andthe majority of them are based on electrochemical detection. Organic electrochemical transistors(OECTs) have favorable properties in terms of low operating voltages and have previously been used asbase for electrochemical detection of glucose. A low-cost disposable biosensor can be achieved by theuse of high throughput printing techniques. Up until now, no printable biosensors based on organic electrochemicaltransistors have been developed.In this thesis a printable miniaturized prototype for a glucose biosensor based on an OECT with a platinizedgate electrode has been designed, developed and evaluated. The biosensor has been functionalizedwith the enzyme glucose oxidase. Different platinum deposition techniques have been used to depositplatinum onto the printed carbon gate electrode: electrodeposition, platinum nanoparticle solutiondeposited either by inkjet printing or pipetting and thermal evaporation.The gate electrodes were characterized with cyclic voltammetry in hydrogen peroxide, ferricyanide andglucose. The characterizations revealed no significant differences between the different deposition techniques.However, with gate electrodes produced by printed carbon followed by electrodeposition ofplatinum it was possible to sense glucose in a concentration in the range of the values for diabetic persons.Thus, the electrodes are a promising option as gate electrodes in a glucose biosensor based on anOECT. The characteristics of the OECT revealed that the responses resembled a transistor.


ABSTRACT Several types of quartz cement and replacive quartz fabrics occur in the Silurian platform carbonates of northern New Brunswick. Petrographic relationships with calcite, pyrite, dolomite, and intraformational erosional clast surfaces indicate that this quartz formed during early burial at depths ranging from the upper few meters to perhaps tens of meters. The quartz cement microtextures suggest that it is a primary precipitate. A close spatial association of fossils and authigenic quartz suggests some kind of organic control on silica precipitation and that the quartz authigenesis was controlled more by molecular diffusion than fluid flow. Several lines of evidence point to bacterial sulfate reduction coupled with oxidation of organic matter as a key process leading to quartz authigenesis, including: 1) documented dominance of this kind of reaction in shallow buried marine sediments, 2) close spatial association of authigenic quartz and pyrite, 3) quartz replacement of gypsum, and 4) experimental evidence that sulfate-reducing bacteria mediate silica precipitation (Birnbaum 1984).


This paper presents a list of common structural deficiencies identified following the Canterbury earthquakes. The deficiencies are based on detailed engineering evaluations of hundreds of buildings in Christchurch and its surrounding areas. The deficiencies identified are common to some of the more prominent collapses but are also found in buildings with limited or concealed damage. The detailed evaluations identified these deficiencies and limited the occupancy, triggered strengthening, or lead to the demolition of the structure. In addition, this paper includes a comparison of observed versus predicted performance of three concrete buildings in the Christchurch area that survived the Lyttelton event with limited damage. The predicted performance utilizes nonlinear time history analysis and is relative to the acceptance criteria specified in ASCE 41-06. In general, the observed performance was found to be better than the predicted. Sources of uncertainty and potential conservatism are evaluated including foundation stiffness, kinematic effects, and vertical accelerations.


An experiment on the effects of hormonal preparations (Gonazon™ and Supergestran containing gonadotropin-releasing hormone) on the course of reproduction of farmed grayling (Thymallus thymallus L.) broodstock and their post-stripping mortality was performed at the hatchery in spring 2009. Four-year-old marked grayling females (n = 80) were randomly divided into four groups. The fish were intramuscularly injected with Supergestran at a dose of 30 μg·kg -1 body weight (Group 1), with GonazonTM at a dose of 30 μg·kg-1 (Group 2) and with saline 0.9% NaCl (Group 3), while fish of Group 4 were left without treatment (control group). No effect of treatment on the total number of ovulated females (70–80%) was found at the end of the stripping period. Slightly higher (nonsignificant) percentage of ovulated fish in the first stripping time (3 days post injection) was observed in fish treated with Gonazon. The 30-days post-ovulatory mortality remained unaffected by hormone treatments in all groups. Significant differences (P < 0.001) were found in the fertilization rate of egg samples from the first stripping time. The highest fertilization rate (98.6%) was found in fish treated with Supergestran, lower fertilization rates (61% and 65%) in fish treated with saline and control, respectively, and the lowest fertilization rate (39%) in fish treated with Gonazon. Other reproductive indicators remained unaffected by treatment in all groups. Based on our results, Supergestran is the most suitable preparation for the enhancing of artificial reproduction efficiency of farmed European grayling in fishery practice. The study brings important information about artificial reproduction of grayling broodstocks reared in controlled conditions. Egg, GnRH, Gonazon, salmonids, Supergestran


A study was carried out on soursop seeds(annona muricata) to investigate the effects of moisture on the mechanical and oil properties of soursop seeds. The moisture levels varied between 5.62%, 13.51% 17.31% and 21.39%. The mechanical properties such as force, deformation and at its peak, yield and break points both on the vertical and horizontal axis were carried out and the physiochemical analysis of the oil were analysed. The seed coefficient of static friction was obtained for galvanized steel, plywood, glass fibre and mild steel on an inclined plane apparatus. Oil was extracted from the conditioned seed using Soxhlet extractor and analysed for refractive index, moisture content, density, acid value, peroxide value, flash, fire and smoke points, specific gravity and Free Fatty Acid (FFA) content using standard methods. There were significant (p < 0.05) differences in the force at peak, yield and break for seeds at different axis of measurements with the minor axis consistently having the highest values. Highest oil yield of 34.13g was obtained at moisture level of 13.51%(w.b) while the least of 26.82g was at 21.39%(w.b).Oil properties were found to be within the standards of edible oils quality and seeds obtained at moisture content greater than 13% (w.b) proved to be of best quality than others. The established values of the properties determined in this study would assist engineers and food processors in the design of equipment for its extraction


Abstract In structural assessments, plastic strains beyond the elastic limits play an important role in the inelastic responses under seismic effects. In this article, an isolated concrete-pier is analysed by using performance principles and the related code recommendations. Seismic performance analyses are realised by employing recorded earthquakes using the nonlinear pushover and the time history methods. The nonlinear analyses are implemented with user-defined plastic hinges. The hinge properties are derived on the basis of moment-curvature analysis and experimental results. Results of the solutions are presented comparatively for various parameters of the problem, such as pier reinforcement ratios, peak ground accelerations (PGAs) and different quakes. The results showed that residual plastic rotations of the pier section, configured with the minimum reinforcement ratio which satisfying the code-requirements, remain within the acceptable limits and they fulfil the FEMA-356 performance requirements even for strong earthquakes provided that a high ductility and proper design secured. Vulnerable functions with PGAs are displayed for the plastic rotations and isolator/deck displacements. However, the shear deformations of the isolator and the deck displacements exceed the allowable limits and they are in vulnerable risk if the pier section is configured by the minimum code-requirements.


The use of CSEM onshore monitoring for CO2 plume migration characterization completes the information brought by seismic methods (localisation of saturation fronts): it is sensitive to the positive resistivity variations in the aquifer induced by supercritical C02 injection. Once a baseline 3D seismic survey is done and the structural seismic horizons are known, CSEM monitoring could compete with seismic monitoring because of its really low cost and its ease of implementation. CSEM monitoring also brings complementary information to the electrical methods of monitoring: the depth of investigation is significantly higher than electrical methods, and CSEM permit a to inject multi-frequency currents in the ground (which allows a multi-scale scanning of the subsurface). Electrical methods have a very narrow resolution in the superficial subsurface while CSEM map greater depths and larger volumes. Moreover, CSEM surveys are also easy repeatable due to developments in current injections devices and the use of differential GPS monitoring of surface electrodes positions.
 Accuracy of CSEM double LEMAM ("Longue-Electrode-Mise-a-la Masse", using boreholes metallic casings as long electrodes) and double MAM method ("Mise-a la Masse", using downhole electrodes) for CO2 injection monitoring has been tested several times. While the repeatability noise is of a 1% order (shown by Bourgeois et al., 2012a), the electromagnetic response of a CO2 plume in a 1-km deep saline aquifer can reach several percents respect to the original baseline fields (ie pre-injection measurements), depending on the source and reservoir setup. Both double LEMAM and surface-to-LEMAM (or single-LEMAM) setups are particularly suited for deep CO2 injection monitoring because they are based on current injection directly in the deep aquifer layers using the borehole metallic casings as electrodes. The BRGM knowledge in this domain has been constructed on several consecutive and coherent projects (EMSAPCO2, CO2ReMoVe, CO2CARE and EM HONTOMIN) integrating field operations, data processing, uncertainties analysis and modeling (Bourgeois et al., 2012b).
Double MAM CSEM monitoring proved its ability to map the CO2 plume and to characterize its migration during the Ketzin experiment (Girard et al., 2011). CSEM fields (electric and magnetic fields) measurements showed variations above the repeatability noise and spatially associated with the CO2 plume migration at short/medium term migration process (the CSEM method was at least able to detect a 17200 t CO2 bubble propagating at 700 m depth).
At Hontomin, a CSEM baseline dataset has been acquired in December 2013 using a new type of CSEM source, involving surface electrodes and one borehole casing, the so-called surface LEMAM setup, which is supposed to be more sensitive to a CO2 plume than the classical double LEMAM setup (results to be published). The Hontomin experiment is challenging for the CSEM approach because a lower volume of CO2 than Ketzin will be injected at a depth twice the injection depth at Ketzin. Our strategy to overcome these conditions was to use a dense network of CSEM receiver station, with multi frequency acquisition, two different geometries of source polarization and current injection directly in the reservoir by the surface-LEMAM method. First results will be presented.
In addition, in order to assess the feasibility of CSEM imaging for reservoir characterization, we will also present one application in the frame of geothermal exploration: a CSEM survey was performed at the Le Lamentin area (Martinique, French Indies) using 400m long energized metallic casings of two deep exploration boreholes as long electrodes for current injection (the so-called double Longue Electrode Mise-a-la-Masse setup, hereafter 2xLEMAM). Imaging results (frequency dependent apparent resistivity maps and profiles) reveal a very conductive area north of the Fort de France Bay connected to a known poly-phased geothermal system and shallow salt water intrusion. The most conductive body is proposed to be the geo-electrical signature of an active hydrothermal system, superimposed on the signature of a conductive fossilized geothermal system. It is spatially well correlated with high temperature borehole logs. Meanwhile, low temperature areas associated with the fossil hydro-thermal system plugged by clay minerals display less conductive values.

Bourgeois, B., Coppo, N., Girard, .J.F. (2012). Tests de reproductibilite de la methode LEMAM sur un site petrolier pres de Chuelles (Loiret) - Influence du bruit ambiant et des variations d'humidite saisonnieres. BRGM report. BRGM/RP-60982-FR
Bourgeois B., Rohmer J. et Girard J.F., 2012, Etude par modelisation numerique des
performances de l'electromagnetisme applique au monitoring des stockages de CO2 - Influence du contexte geologique et effet des variations exterieures au reservoir. Rapport BRGM/RP-60981-FR.

Girard, J. F., Coppo, N., Rohmer, J., Bourgeois, B., Naudet, V., & Schmidt-Hattenberger, C. (2011). Time-lapse CSEM monitoring of the Ketzin (Germany) CO 2 injection using 2× MAM configuration. Energy Procedia, 4, 3322-3329.


The consolidation behavior of flocculated alumina suspensions has been analyzed as a function of the interparticle energy. Consolidation was performed by a centrifugal force field or by gravity, and both the time-dependent and equilibrium density profiles were measured by a gamma-ray absorption technique. The interparicle energy at contact was controlled by adsorbing fatty acids of varying molecular weight at the alumina/decalin interface. We found that strongly attractive interactions result in a particle network which resists consolidation and shows compressible behavior over a large stress range. The most weakly flocculated suspension showed an essentially incompressible, homogeneous density profile after consolidation at different centrifugal speeds. We also found a significant variation in the maximum volume fraction, φm, obtained, with φm∼ 0.54 for the most strongly flocculated suspension to φm∼ 0.63 for the most weakly flocculated suspension. The compresive yield stresses show a behavior which can be fitted to a modified power law. In this paper, we discuss possible correlations between the fitting parameters and physical properties of the flocculated suspensions.


Our research team at the University of Nebraska's Advanced Telecommunications Engineering Lab (TEL) is working closely with the North American freight railroad industry to leverage wireless sensor networks (WSN) onboard railcars for advanced monitoring and alerting. Because freight train WSNs exhibit a linear chain-like topology of significant length, the existing IEEE 802.15.4 communication protocol, based on a star topology, is unable to provide acceptable service. The routing performance and reliability degrades significantly with increasing number of hops. The proposed multi-tier multi-hop network is a practical solution for large-scale multi-hop WSNs in railroad environments. The idea is to have longer-distance communication overlaid on the top of the shorter-distance communication of WSNs to reduce the number of hops needed for route discovery and data forwarding. This approach has significant advantages, such as more data bandwidth and higher reliability. Our simulation results show that our proposed multi-tier communication approach is a feasible and reliable solution for implementing chain-topology WSNs with a high number of hops onboard freight trains.


Proteins are dynamic molecules involved in virtually every chemical process in our bodies. Understanding how they flex and bend provides fundamental insights to their functions. At the atomic level, protein motion cannot be observed using existing experimental methods. To gain insights into these motions, simulation methods are used. However such simulations are computationally expensive.
Rigidity analysis is a fast, alternative graph-based method to molecular simulations, that gives information about the flexibility properties of molecules modeled as mechanical structures. Due to the lack of convenient tools for curating protein data, the usefulness of rigidity analysis has been demonstrated on only a handful of proteins to infer several of their biophysical properties. Previous studies also relied on heuristics to determine which choice of modeling options of important stabilizing interactions allowed for extracting relevant biological observations from rigidity analysis results. Thus there is no agreed-upon choice of modeling of stabilizing interactions that is validated with experimental data.
In this thesis we make progress towards large-scale validation of protein flexibility using rigidity analysis. We have developed the KINARI software to test the predictive power of using rigidity analysis to infer biophysical properties of proteins. We develop new tools for curating protein data files and for generating biological functional forms and crystal lattices of molecules. We show that rigidity analysis of these biological assemblies provides structural and functional information that would be missed if only the unprocessed data of protein structures were analyzed. To provide a proof-of-concept that rigidity analysis can be used to perform fast evaluation of in silico mutations that may not be easy to perform in vitro, we have developed KINARI-Mutagen. Finally, we perform a systematic study in which we vary how hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions are modeled when constructing a mechanical framework of a protein. We propose a general method to evaluate how varying the modeling of these important inter-atomic interactions affects the degree to which rigidity parameters correlate with experimental stability data.


Objective: Although there are rapidly growing concerns about the high rates of cognitive dysfunction in Korea, the knowledge of risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD) among the general public in Korea remains to be elucidated. Methods: A total of 2767 randomly selected subjects from the Ansan Geriatric Study were questioned on their knowledge of putative risk factors for AD. Their answers were compared with their sociodemographic data and other variables. Results: The most common stated risk factor was being older (59.6%), followed by head trauma (33.6%) and cerebrovascular disease (30.4%). However, a substandard education, which is a known risk factor, was considered significant by only 9.5% of the subjects. Predictors for a worse knowledge of the risk factors for AD were being older, a lower level of education, lower economic status and the attitude that dementia is not curable. Conclusion: This study revealed that misunderstanding about AD is more prevalent in older subjects and those with a lower level of education, and so public health education on the basic concepts of AD should be targeted at this population.