TL1A is a proinflammatory cytokine, which is prevalent in the gut. High TL1A concentrations are present in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and in IBD mouse models. However, the role of TL1A during steady‐state conditions is relatively unknown. Here, we used TL1A knockout (KO) mice to analyse the impact of TL1A on the intestinal immune system and gut microbiota. The TL1A KO mice showed reduced amounts of small intestinal intraepithelial TCRγδ+ and CD8+ T cells, and reduced expression of the activating receptor NKG2D. Moreover, the TL1A KO mice had significantly reduced body weight and visceral adipose tissue deposits, as well as lower levels of leptin and CXCL1, compared with wild‐type mice. Analysis of the gut microbial composition of TL1A KO mice revealed a reduction of caecal Clostridial cluster IV, a change in the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio in caecum and less Lactobacillus spp. in the mucosal ileum. Our results show that TL1A deficiency impacts on the gut microbial composition and the mucosal immune system, especially the intraepithelial TCRγδ+ T‐cell subset, and that TL1A is involved in the establishment of adipose tissue. This research contributes to a broader understanding of TL1A inhibition, which is increasingly considered for treatment of IBD.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
In children, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) implies life-threatening complications and some patients need admission to a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Few studies have been reported analyzing this issue in a pediatric population and most focused on risk factors predicting survival following PICU admission.

DESIGN AND METHODS
We examined data of 240 pediatric patients who received HSCT (100 allogeneic and 140 autologous) in order to ascertain the incidence of life-threatening complications requiring PICU admission, the contributing risk factors and the patients' long-term survival.

RESULTS
Forty-two (17.5%) (25 males and 17 females) of the transplanted children were admitted to the PICU. Twenty-nine of them (69%) had received an allogeneic transplant and thirteen (31%) an autologous transplant. Their median age was 7 years (range; 1-18). The most frequent reason for admission was respiratory failure (37 cases, 88%). The overall probability of developing complications requiring PICU admission was 21.2% (33.5% for allogeneic transplantation and 10.1% for patients receiving autologous grafts, p=0.0002). On univariate analysis, only the type of transplantation was significantly associated with PICU admission (allogeneic vs autologous RR 1.92, 95% CI: 1.46-2.53)(p = 0.0001). In allogeneic transplants, only the underlying disease (non-malignant) and the status of disease at transplantation within malignant diseases (advanced phase) were pretransplant variables associated with PICU admission. Post-transplantation risk factors were presence of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) (p = 0.046) and its grade (II-IV) (p = 0.002), as well as the presence of multiorgan dysfunction during the early post-infusion phase especially when the lung was the first failing organ (p = 0.0001). However, on multivariate analysis, only severe GvHD was statistically significant. In the autologous transplantation group, the underlying disease (solid tumor, p = 0.07) and status at transplantation (advanced phase, p = 0.0029) were the only risk factors. In the post-transplant phase, patients who develop multiorgan dysfunction during the neutropenic period and those with engraftment syndrome had an increased risk of requiring critical care. The overall event-free survival (EFS) at 3 years was 15.3%, (18.4% for autologous transplant recipients and 13.7% for those receiving an allogeneic graft, p = 0.4). Using a Cox regression model, multiorgan failure (MOF) present at admission was the only variable that had a negative impact on EFS (4.28% vs 35.71% for patients with no MOF, p = 0.016).

INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS
Despite high mortality, intensive care support can be beneficial for pediatric patients with life-threatening complications following HSCT. However, for patients with multiorgan failure involving the lungs, admission to the PICU should be avoided.


The labile binding site of C3b interacts with receptive surfaces by way of a covalent bond. We report here experiments directed toward elucidating the nature of the linkage. 125I-C3b was bound to zymosan (Z) carrying C3-convertase activity on its surface. The resulting zymosan-C3b particles (Z-C3b) were washed free of noncovalently bound proteins with 1% SDS. The Z-C3b particles were incubated at different pH's, and it was found that C3b can be released under alkaline conditions but not acidic conditions. Release of C3b can also be observed at alkaline pH in the presence of 1 M hydroxylamine. The kinetics of the release of C3b from Z were studied at pH 7.5 in 1 M hydroxylamine and at pH 10 in 0.1 M NaHCO3. The second order rate constants for the release of C3b from Z were found to be 0.0026 ± 0.003 M-1 min-1 in hydroxylamine at neutral pH, and 37 ± 3 M-1 min-1 at pH 10. These values are comparable to the rate constants for the hydroxylaminolysis and hydrolysis of compounds containing esters such as benzoyl glycine ethyl ester, acetylcholine, and N,O-diacetylserinamide. They are significantly different, however, from the values obtained for the hydroxylaminolysis and hydrolysis of compounds containing thioesters, tyrosyl esters, and acylimidazole. The results of these experiments are consistent with the hypothesis that the bond between C3b and receptive surfaces is an ester. Further evidence for an ester linkage between C3b and receptive surfaces was obtained by analyzing the products of the release of C3d from zymosan by hydroxylamine. If the bond is indeed an ester, the release of C3d from Z with hydroxylamine will yield an hydroxamate that either associates with C3d or with Z. We were able to detect 0.66 ± 0.12 moles of hydroxamate per mole of C3d peptide, suggesting that the bond between C3b and receptive surfaces (RS) takes the form of RS-O-CO-C3b.


Over 3 million people in Hong Kong and 21 million people in the UK are saving for retirement under the mandatory provident fund and individual savings account schemes, respectively. Yet, we know little about how individual preferences, such as risk attitudes (risk-seeking and risk-averse) that are known to impact highly consequential decisions in a variety of real-world contexts, impact retirement investment choices. In two experimental studies (Study 1—Hong Kong sample and Study 2—United Kingdom sample), we show that personal risk attitudes were a strong predictor of the profile of retirement investment portfolios. Specially, risk-averse people allocated more of their savings to low-risk funds than risk-seeking people. The pattern of findings is consistent in both Hong Kong mandatory and the UK voluntary retirement investment schemes. These findings are considered in light of policy decisions made in Hong Kong retirement and UK pension schemes.


Ken Regan was a young photographer in 1964 when he covered Muhammad Ali's first fight: his historic victory over Sonny Liston in Miami Beach. Afterward, the young photographer embarked on a life-long love affair with the sport of boxing. For the next four decades, Regan would go on to chronicle the greatest fights and the greatest fighters of the age. His extraordinary photogrpaphs include many of the most enduring images ever created in the annals of boxing, as well as portraits of notable trainers, managers, promoters, writers, and the whole panoply of celebrities associated with the sport. Featuring some of the greatest ring action in boxing history, "Knockout" takes us from sparring sessions and press conferences to weigh-ins and post-fight sessions. "Knockout" also features Regan's compelling stories and firsthand accounts of his amazing photographic journey into the heart of boxing. Beginning with his early magazine work shooting prizefights and throughout the following decades, Regan developed close personal friendships with some ofthe greatest fighters. Regan captures intimate moments showing fighters with their families at home and on the road. With numerous black-and-white and color images, many of them seen here for the first time, "Knockout" is destined to be one of the most celebrated books ever published on the subject of boxing. Foreword by Norman Mailer, preface by Budd Schulberg, afterword by Chris Murray.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Keratinizing desquamative squamous metaplasia (KDSM) of the upper urinary tract is a rare condition for which there is no defined management plan. A condition historically treated with extirpative surgery, conservative management would be preferable, because this is almost certainly a benign condition. We report the favorable clinical course of two cases of renal KDSM diagnosed and managed with a nephron-sparing approach, relying on ureteroscopy and serial imaging.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Retrospective chart review was performed to obtain history, physical examination results, radiographic imaging, and diagnostic procedures.

RESULTS
Both patients were referred to our institution for evaluation of complex cystic renal masses. Both reported passing flaky material in their urine. Flexible ureteroscopy revealed waxy sediment in the collecting system, which broke up easily with manipulation and proved to be squamous keratin debris on cytologic and histologic examination. In 1 patient, we obtained a percutaneous needle biopsy as well, which revealed benign keratinizing squamous epithelium. All findings were consistent with KDSM. Each patient has since been followed conservatively with CT. In 1 case, there has been slight growth of the mass but no worrisome changes after 42 months. In the other case, there were several new renal collecting system filling defects on CT 17 months after diagnosis. Another ureteroscopy revealed the same findings as the original, with the addition of keratin debris draining out of the lesion into the rest of the kidney.

CONCLUSIONS
Our two cases of KDSM confirm the feasibility of nephron-sparing management using a combination of diagnostic ureteroscopy and imaging surveillance. The duration of follow-up without adverse events suggests that the finding of renal KDSM is not necessarily an indication for extirpative surgery, and that conservative management is an appropriate option.


In atmospheric sensing, one application that has demonstrated several impressive successes over the last two decades is the light detection and ranging (LIDAR). Elastic LIDAR has shown an important capability in providing aerosol density and spatial distribution from a standoff position. However, it provides limited information on the material composition of the aerosol component. On the other hand, inelastic LIDARs (including laser-induced fluorescence and Raman LIDARs) measure the spectrally distributed returned signal that may contain important clues about the nature of the scatterers. In order to investigate the capability of these LIDARs in characterizing bioaerosols from a standoff position, Defence Research & Development Canada initiated a three-year program in spring 1999, named SINBAHD (Standoff Integrated Bioaerosol Active Hyperspectral Detection). The aim of the program was to investigate the sensitivity and discrimination capabilities of an inelastic LIDAR based on the intensified range-gated spectral detection of laser-induced fluorescence. An exploratory prototype based on this technique has shown sensitivity of a few living bioaerosol particles per liter of air for a range of 1.4 km at night. Furthermore, based on spectral signatures measured during open-air releases, good discrimination capabilities were obtained between Bacillius subtilis var globiggi (BG) and Erwinia herbicola (EH). These results agree well with a performance model using Raman returns from atmospheric nitrogen as a calibration tool.


Feeding flaxseed to dairy cows can modulate gene expression and PG synthesis in the uterus at the time of peri-implantation. The objectives of the present study were to determine which flaxseed components are responsible for these effects and how different endometrial cell types are affected. We evaluated the effects of six different linoleic acid (n-6):α-linolenic acid (n-3) ratios and three concentrations of the lignan enterolactone (ENL) on endometrial stromal cells (SC) and epithelial cells (EC). The mRNA abundance of genes with known or suspected roles in embryo survival or PG synthesis was evaluated, along with PGE2 and PGF2α concentrations in culture media. The mRNA abundance of several genes was modulated by different fatty acid (FA) ratios and/or ENL, and this modulation differed between cell types. The FA4 (FA at an n-6:n-3 ratio of 4) treatment (rich in n-3 FA) increased the mRNA abundance of genes that have positive effects on uterine receptivity and implantation when compared with the FA25 (FA at an n-6:n-3 ratio of 25) treatment (rich in n-6 FA). ENL decreased PGE2 and PGF2α concentrations in both cell types, and this reduction was associated with lower mRNA abundance of the PG synthase genes AKR1B1 and PTGES in SC. The combination of ENL with FA (FA4 treatment) resulted in the greatest reduction in PGF2α concentrations when compared with the addition of FA (FA4) or ENL alone. Because of the known luteolytic properties of PGF2α, a reduction in endometrial PGF2α secretion would favour the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy.


Solanesol, a naturally occurring constituent of tobacco, has been utilized as a good marker for environmental tobacco smoke particulate and as a non-invasive predictor of mainstream cigarette smoke tar and nicotine intake under naturalistic smoking conditions. A fast and accurate method for measuring free solanesol to assess tobacco smoke exposure is highly desirable. We have developed and validated a new environmentally friendly, high throughput method for measuring solanesol content in discarded cigarette filter butts. The solanesol deposited in the used filters can be correlated with mainstream smoke deliveries of nicotine and total particle matter (TPM) to estimate constituent delivery to smokers. A portion of filter material is removed from cigarette butts after machine smoking, spiked with internal standard solution, extracted, and quantitatively analyzed using reverse phase liquid chromatography coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The new method incorporates a 48-well plate format for automated sample preparation that reduces sample preparation time and solvent use and increases sample throughput 10-fold compared to our previous method. Accuracy and precision were evaluated by spiking known amounts of solanesol on both clean and smoked cigarette butts. Recoveries exceeded 93% at both low and high spiking levels. Linear solanesol calibration curves ranged from 1.9 to 367 µg/butt with a 0.05 µg/butt limit of detection.


We have observed instability in the threshold voltage, VT, of SiC metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) due to gate-bias stressing. This effect has routinely been observed by us in all 4H and 6H SiC MOSFETs from three different manufacturers—even at room temperature. A positive-bias stress, applying an electric field of about 1 to 2 MV/cm across the gate oxide, for 3 minutes followed by a negative-bias stress for another 3 minutes typically results in a shift of the ID-VGS current-voltage characteristic in the range of 0.25 to 0.5 V and is repeatable. We speculate that this effect is due to the presence of a large number of near-interfacial oxide traps that presumably lie in the oxide transition region that extends several nm into the oxide from the SiC interface, caused by the presence of C and strained SiO2. This instability is consistent with charge tunneling in and out of these near-interfacial oxide traps, which in irradiated Si MOSFETs has been attributed to border traps. Also consistent with charge tunneling is the observed linear increase in the magnitude of the SiC VT instability with log (time).


In this work, we study the recently discovered neural collapse (NC) phenomenon, which is preva-lent in training over-parameterized deep neural networks for classification tasks. Existing work has shown that any optimal solution of the trained problem for classification tasks is an NC solution and has a benign landscape under the unconstrained feature model. However, these results do not provide an answer to the question of how quickly gradient descent can find an NC solution. To answer this question, we prove an error bound property of the trained problem, which refers to the inequality that bounds the distance of a point to the optimal solution set by the norm of its gradient, under the unconstrained feature model. Using this error bound, we show linear convergence of gradient descent for finding an NC solution.


We investigate various methods of classifying time-varying signals. In particular, we are interested in detecting acoustic emissions that may occur in concrete structures during imminent failure. This important classification problem results in detecting and separating the distress signal from other natural or man-made acoustic signals. Due to the time-varying nature of the signals, we employ several time-frequency-based classification methods proposed in the literature. We also propose a new automatic classification method that is based on the matching pursuit algorithm, and we demonstrate its superior performance using real data.


Adaptive video streaming using HTTP has become popular in recent years for commercial video delivery. The recent MPEG-DASH standard allows interoperability and adaptability between servers and clients from different vendors. The delivery of the MPD (Media Presentation Description) files in DASH and the DASH client behaviours are beyond the scope of the DASH standard. However, the different adaptation algorithms employed by the clients do affect the overall performance of the system and users' QoE (Quality of Experience), hence the need for research in this field. Moreover, standard DASH delivery is based on fixed segments of the video. However, there is no standard segment duration for DASH where various fixed segment durations have been employed by different commercial solutions and researchers with their own individual merits. Most recently, the use of variable segment duration in DASH has emerged but only a few preliminary studies without practical implementation exist. In addition, such a technique requires a DASH client to be aware of segment duration variations, and this requirement and the corresponding implications on the DASH system design have not been investigated. This paper proposes a segment-duration-aware bandwidth estimation and next-segment selection adaptation strategy for DASH. Firstly, an MPD file extension scheme to support variable segment duration is proposed and implemented in a realistic hardware testbed. The scheme is tested on a DASH client, and the tests and analysis have led to an insight on the time to download next segment and the buffer behaviour when fetching and switching between segments of different playback durations. Issues like sustained buffering when switching between segments of different durations and slow response to changing network conditions are highlighted and investigated. An enhanced adaptation algorithm is then proposed to accurately estimate the bandwidth and precisely determine the time to download the next optimal segment considering the variable segment duration. Furthermore, objective metrics are employed to highlight the merits of the achieved compression efficiency using longer segment sizes for higher bitrate representations.


In the Paris Agreement era of climate governance, private market-based initiatives are expected to play a catalytic role in achieving global commitments. However, the literature has been largely silent on the political causes of the variable and often limited uptake of such initiatives in the Global South. This article uses original project-level data to investigate the participation in voluntary carbon offset (VCO) programs across developing countries. We argue that, paradoxically, access to formal international institutions and linkages with domestic priorities are key factors for participation in voluntary carbon markets, reducing asymmetries in information, capacity, and interest in developing contexts. Our statistical analysis finds that institutions such as the Clean Development Mechanism and targeted foreign aid, as well as domestic concerns such as climate vulnerability and advancing renewable energy, shape in important ways the variable engagement in VCO projects. Our analysis also suggests that the design of private regulations can be fine-tuned to better capture synergies between local concerns and transnational climate action.


In this book, the author shows how Barcelona's story is mapped out in its artistic and architectural heritage, highlighting especially the identity crisis that it suffers as the first industrial and commercial city of Spain while being the capital of an independence-seeking Catalonia.


Abstract : Wireless networks for emergency responders and military personnel operating in tactical situations are often assembled without any preexisting infrastructure (i.e., ad hoc) and are subject to changing topology as nodes enter or leave service or move (i.e., are mobile) in the environment. These networks often have lower-than-optimal bandwidth and can see further bandwidth reductions due to disadvantageous topologies and other factors. In addition, needed applications must compete for possibly diminishing bandwidth. As a result, such networks are frequently oversubscribed: they cannot fully meet the quality of service (QoS) expectations of all applications. This report provides an overview of approaches for satisfying QoS expectations in ad hoc wireless networks assembled to support high criticality crisis and tactical scenarios. It illustrates that these approaches are adaptations of approaches used in wired (often fixed) infrastructures where bandwidth is known and interference is not the norm. It documents and provides experimental evidence for the Adaptive QoS (AQoS) approach that allows applications to adapt bandwidth demand to conditions without the need to know, estimate, or predict available bandwidth. AQoS informs applications that oversubscription is occurring, thereby allowing them to continue to operate, albeit at diminished rate or capacity, and meet mission needs.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Human papillomavirus–related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma is associated with cystic lymph nodes on CT and has a favorable prognosis. A subset of patients with aggressive disease experience treatment failure. Our aim was to determine whether the extent of cystic lymph node burden on staging CT can serve as an imaging biomarker to predict treatment failure in human papillomavirus–related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified patients with human papilloma virus–related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and staging neck CTs. Demographic and clinical variables were recorded. We retrospectively classified the metastatic lymph node burden on CT as cystic or solid and assessed radiologic extracapsular spread. Biopsy, subsequent imaging, or clinical follow-up was the reference standard for treatment failure. The primary end point was disease-free survival. Cox proportional hazard regression analyses of clinical, demographic, and anatomic variables for treatment failure were performed. RESULTS: One hundred eighty-three patients were included with a mean follow-up of 38 months. In univariate analysis, the following variables had a statistically significant association with treatment failure: solid-versus-cystic lymph nodes, clinical T-stage, clinical N-stage, and radiologic evidence of extracapsular spread. The multivariate Cox proportional hazard model resulted in a model that included solid-versus-cystic lymph nodes, T-stage, and radiologic evidence of extracapsular spread as independent predictors of treatment failure. Patients with cystic nodal metastasis at staging had significantly better disease-free survival than patients with solid lymph nodes. CONCLUSIONS: In human papilloma virus–related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, patients with solid lymph node metastases are at higher risk for treatment failure with worse disease-free survival. Solid lymph nodes may serve as an imaging biomarker to tailor individual treatment regimens.


In a consecutive series of 275 surgically treated abdominal aortic aneurysms, seven patients with acute thrombotic occlusion of an abdominal aortic or iliac aneurysm were encountered. Ten additional cases have been reported in the medical literature. The majority of the aneurysms were 7 cm in diameter or smaller. Some patients had complained of claudication before the acute event. An acute low-flow state superimposed on a stenotic atherosclerotic distal vascular bed is probably the main factor responsible for acute thrombosis within an abdominal aneurysm. The high mortality of 53% is similar to that of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms. The recommendation is made that all small abdominal aortic aneurysms be resected if there is substantial associated distal occlusive disease.


Searching for effective diagnostic methods of basic elements of driving systems is still the actual problem. The most often the vibroacoustic diagnostics based on the analysis of vibrations and noises generated by the working system is applied. Driving systems of vehicles are rather complicated. They consist, among others, of various types of toothed gears. Within the vibroacoustic signals recorded during their operation not only harmonic components – being the effect of these gears operations - are present, but also components generated by other elements. Due to this, there is a necessity of the development of models of the vibroacoustic signals generation by the main elements of the driving system. Such models will allow to identify – within the recorded signals – the harmonic components related to processes occurring during the gear operation. These models should be relatively simple due to the possibility of their application in diagnostic devices operating in the 'on line' mode. Modelling of the single-stage toothed gear, with the application of the analysis of the gear sliding mesh velocity changes, is presented in the hereby paper.


The goal of this work was to investigate how the interplay of the nascent peptide with the small molecule cofactors modulates ribosome function and as a consequence regulate gene expression in a cell. To study this we used regulatory peptides preceding erythromycin resistance methyltransferase (erm) genes as the model nascent peptides and macrolide antibiotics as model small molecule cofactors. Our studies expanded the general understanding of the mechanisms of functional interactions between the nascent peptide and the ribosomal tunnel, provided new insights into mechanisms of action of NPET-targeting antibiotics, illuminated new aspects of regulation of the resistance mechanisms and provided novel venues for future use of the discovered principles for practical purposes. We believe that unraveling the molecular networks of modulation of ribosomal function by nascent peptides in combination with small molecule cofactors is critical for understanding the basic principles of the regulatory circuitry of the cell.


Background Most patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) who show mild symptoms are sent home by physicians to recover. However, the condition of some of these patients becomes severe or critical as the disease progresses. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate a telemedicine model that was developed to address the challenges of treating patients with progressive COVID-19 who are home-quarantined and shortages in the medical workforce. Methods A telemedicine system was developed to continuously monitor the progression of home-quarantined patients with COVID-19. The system was built based on a popular social media smartphone app called WeChat; the app was used to establish two-way communication between a multidisciplinary team consisting of 7 medical workers and 188 home-quarantined individuals (including 74 confirmed patients with COVID-19). The system helped patients self-assess their conditions and update the multidisciplinary team through a telemedicine form stored on a cloud service, based on which the multidisciplinary team made treatment decisions. We evaluated this telemedicine system via a single-center retrospective study conducted at Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, China, in January 2020. Results Among 188 individuals using the telemedicine system, 114 (60.6%) were not infected with COVID-19 and were dismissed. Of the 74 confirmed patients with COVID-19, 26 (35%) recovered during the study period and voluntarily stopped using the system. The remaining 48/76 confirmed patients with COVID-19 (63%) used the system until the end of the study, including 6 patients whose conditions progressed to severe or critical. These 6 patients were admitted to hospital and were stabilized (one received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support for 17 days). All 74 patients with COVID-19 eventually recovered. Through a comparison of the monitored symptoms between hospitalized and nonhospitalized patients, we found prolonged persistence and deterioration of fever, dyspnea, lack of strength, and muscle soreness to be diagnostic of need for hospitalization. Conclusions By continuously monitoring the changes in several key symptoms, the telemedicine system reduces the risks of delayed hospitalization due to disease progression for patients with COVID-19 quarantined at home. The system uses a set of scales for quarantine management assessment that enables patients to self-assess their conditions. The results are useful for medical staff to identify disease progression and, hence, make appropriate and timely treatment decisions. The system requires few staff to manage a large cohort of patients. In addition, the system can solicit help from recovered but self-quarantined medical workers to alleviate shortages in the medical workforce and free healthy medical workers to fight COVID-19 on the front line. Thus, it optimizes the usage of local medical resources and prevents cross-infections among medical workers and patients.


This paper constructs a growth model that is consistent with salient features of the recent Chinese growth experience: high output growth, sustained returns on capital investment, extensive reallocation within the manufacturing sector, falling labor share and accumulation of a large foreign surplus. The building blocks of the theory are asymmetric financial imperfections and heterogeneous productivity. Some firms use more productive technologies, but low-productivity firms survive because of better access to credit markets. Due to the financial imperfections, high-productivity firms — which are run by entrepreneurs — must be financed out of internal savings. If these savings are sufficiently large, the high-productivity firms outgrow the low-productivity firms and attract an increasing employment share. The downsizing of the financially integrated firms forces a growing share of domestic savings to be invested in foreign assets, generating a foreign surplus. A calibrated version of the theory can account quantitatively for China's growth


Femtoscopic correlations of non-identical charged kaons ($\rm K^+ K^-$) are studied in Pb$-$Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon$-$nucleon collision $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} =2.76$ TeV by ALICE at the LHC. One-dimensional $\rm K^+ K^-$ correlation functions are analyzed in three centrality classes and eight intervals of particle-pair transverse momentum. The Lednick\'y and Luboshitz interaction model used in the $\rm K^+ K^-$ analysis includes the final-state Coulomb interactions between kaons and the final-state interaction through $a_{0}$(980) and $f_{0}$(980) resonances. The mass of $f_{0}$(980) and coupling were extracted from the fit to $\rm K^+ K^-$ correlation functions using the femtoscopic technique. The measured mass and width of the $f_{0}$(980) resonance are consistent with other published measurements. The height of the $\phi$(1020) meson peak present in the $\rm K^+ K^-$ correlation function rapidly decreases with increasing source radius, qualitatively in agreement with an inverse volume dependence. A phenomenological fit to this trend suggests that the $\phi$(1020) meson yield is dominated by particles produced directly from the hadronization of the system. The small fraction subsequently produced by final-state interactions could not be precisely quantified with data presented in this paper and will be assessed in future work.


Ten motile Aeromonads, including one Aeromonas hydrophila ATCC 7512, were used. Of the strains, five were isolated from gulls (one A. hydrophila strain and four A. caviae strains) and four from rainbow trout (three A. hydrophila strains and one A. caviae strain). Whole cell protein profiles of these strains were analyzed by SDS-PAGE. Forty-five pairs were formed in comparing the protein profiles of each strain. Of the pairs, 17 (37.8%) were different, 18 (40%) were unclear and 10 (22.2%) were identical. When the strains belonging to the same species were compared within themselves, four A. caviae strains were found to be identical, while all four A. hydrophila strains were different or of uncertain relationship to the group. One A. hydrophila strain isolated from gulls was found to be identical to four A. caviae strains again isolated from gulls. In this study, A. hydrophila and A. caviae strains were isolated from gull feces and their protein profiles were shown by SDS-PAGE for the first time in Turkey. These findings are expected to contribute to future studies in this field.


It is widely believed that initial experience in temporary and/or casual employment may act as an important steeping-stone to permanent or more desired employment. This is because, on the demand side, employers are increasingly using non-standard employment as a means of labour force screening, and, on the supply side, such jobs offer workers a chance to broaden workforce skills and improve employability. What is not known is how important the non-standard route has become in labour market transition or whether it offers a preferred route to traditional job search methods? In this paper labour force transition is investigated using data gathered from a longitudinal database (MOHRI) covering staff movements in the Queensland public service. The database covers those who have entered the public service through traditional recruitment methods as well as those that have entered through temporary and casual appointments. Empirical analysis used in the paper is based upon cumulative incidence function testing and competing risk hazard function analysis. The results also allow consideration of some of the determinants of exit from the public service.


The aim of this study is to measure the competitiveness of the South African Agricultural Sector by analysing the effects of the Trade Development and Co-operation Agreement (TDCA). In broad terms the effects are expected to be twofold: (1) increased competition on the local market by the European Union (EU) products entering the market on a duty-free basis, and (2) improved access to the EU market for South African (SA) exports. These effects are analyzed by: • Taking a closer look at the TDCA. • Performing an export impact assessment. • Performing an import impact assessment.


Abstract This paper aims to combine the results obtained by studies conducted independently of each other on constructivist learning in Turkey. The question the study seeks to answer is expressed as: "Does constructivist learning approach affect students' academic achievement?". In this context, the literature research was made between 2001 and 2013, and 27 doctoral dissertations written in Turkish about the effect of constructivist learning on students' academic achievement were included in the meta-analysis. In line with the determined criteria, the 27 doctoral dissertations conducted on the effect of constructivist learning in Turkey, it can be said that the applied constructivist education has an effect on academic achievement in the classification framework of Cohen and it is located in the wide interval which is the highest level. Following meta-analysis, it was concluded that constructivist learning approach was effective in terms of academic achievement in the positive direction.


Morningness–eveningness has been associated with the entrained circadian phase. However, we recently identified morning and evening types having similar circadian phases. In this paper, we compared parameters of slow‐wave activity (SWA) decay in non‐rapid‐eye‐movement (NREM) sleep between these two subgroups to test the hypothesis that differences in the dynamics of nocturnal homeostatic sleep pressure could explain differences in sleep timing preference. Twelve morning‐type subjects and 12 evening‐type subjects with evening types (aged 19–34 years) selected using the Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire were further classified according to the phase of their dim light melatonin onset (DLMO). The six morning types with the earliest DLMO were compared to the six evening types with the latest DLMO ('extreme' phases), and the six morning types with the latest DLMO were compared to the six evening types with the earliest DLMO ('intermediate' phases). Subjects slept according to their preferred sleep schedule. Spectral activity in four midline derivations (Fz, Cz, Pz, Oz) was calculated in NREM sleep and an exponential decay function was applied on SWA data averaged per sleep cycle. In the subjects with intermediate circadian phases, both initial level and decay rate of SWA in Fz were significantly higher in morning than in evening types. No difference appeared between chronotypes of extreme circadian phases. There was no correlation between individual estimates of SWA decay and DLMO. These results support the hypothesis that chronotype can originate from differences in the dissipation of sleep pressure and that homeostatic and circadian processes influence the sleep schedule preference independently.


In Lithuania, research on proper names of animals takes a relatively small part of onomastics. In addition, academic papers on zoonyms are rather scarce. It is most appropriate to begin an analysis of dog names from the motivation of name choices and its distribution, thus revealing the overall picture of Lithuanian proper names of animals. The aim of this paper is to investigate the motivation of the choice of dog names in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and to determine the prevalent naming tendencies at that time. The names were collected by Jan Ostrorog in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. First of all, 313 dog names were divided into names of clear, not quite clear, and unclear motivation on the basis of Milda Norkaitienė's classification of animal names, which was adapted for the dog names by Daiva Sinkeviciūtė. Division of the dog names collected by J. Ostrorog in the Polish– Lithuanian Commonwealth into groups according to the above-mentioned classification shows that the causes and trends of dog naming in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were similar to the present ones: a contemporary classification of dog names with a clear motivation is perfectly suitable for the analysis of dog names from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. However, there are some differences in the naming process, because a new group of dog names emerged in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries: names motivated by the function of the dog during hunting. The reason for this is probably specific names: all collected names belonged to hunting dogs. There is also another difference: in the present-day Lithuanian language, the names given to animals, including dogs, are mostly based on an animal's physical features, while in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries dog names were predominantly based on their temper: the character, behaviour, and interests.


The investigation of the interaction between atoms and diatomic molecules with strong laser fields with peak intensities in the range between ?10?^12 and ?10?^16 W/cm^2 has revealed fascinating phenomena such as high energy above-threshold ionization (HATI), non-sequential ionization (NSDI), high-harmonic generation (HHG) and frustrated tunnel ionization (FTI). Although experimental and theoretical considerations have shown that using longer laser wavelength is interesting from several aspects, the majority of measurements has been performed at laser wavelengths below 1.0 m. Here, a laser source of intense femtosecond laser pulses with short-wave infrared (SWIR) wavelength is put to operation and applied to investigate strong-field photoionization (SFI) of atoms and diatomic molecules using two different experimental techniques for momentum spectroscopy of laser-induced fragmentation processes. Momentum distributions from strong-field photoionization of Xenon with different pulse duration are measured using the velocity map imaging technique. Besides observation of the pulse duration dependence a low-energy feature is investigated in detail. The corresponding modeling shows that the observations can be traced to rescattering between the laser-driven photoelectron and the remaining ion. SFI of the hydrogen molecular ion, H_2^+ (H_2^+?H^++H^++e^-), is investigated using Ion Target Recoil Ion Momentum Spectroscopy (ITRIMS). Besides measuring intensity dependent vector momentum distributions it is shown that momentum conservation can be used to extract the correlated electron momentum from the measured data, although the electron is not detected. This enables the analysis of the correlated electron-nuclear momentum distribution. Together, with a one-dimensional two-level model, this sheds light on correlated electron-nuclear ionization dynamics during SFI of diatomic molecules by SWIR fields.


Hemodialysis patients are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease due to traditional and dialysis-related risk factors. Our aim was to study the effects of hemodialysis on the corrected QT interval (QTc) and QTc dispersion in chronic kidney disease (CKD) without clinically manifest heart disease. Two hundred cases of CKD on chronic intermittent hemodialysis of >3 months' duration were included in the study. Twelve-lead electrocardiography and samples for serum creatinine, potassium, calcium, and magnesium were taken before and after dialysis. The mean age of patients was 52.4 ± 17 years with male-to-female ratio of 3:1. QTc interval and QTc dispersion were prolonged in 47% and 59% before and 50% and 89% of patients after hemodialysis, respectively. The mean values of QTc were 433.4 ± 36.9 ms before and 451.4 ± 39.6 ms after hemodialysis (p = 0.001) and the mean values of QTc dispersion were 60.5 ± 19.3 ms before and 81.5 ± 24.4 ms after hemodialysis (p = 0.001). Similar pattern was observed in all etiological groups of CKD, except for QTc dispersion in malignancy-related CKD (p = 0.216). After hemodialysis, there was a significant fall in the mean values of serum potassium (p = 0.001), rise in serum calcium (p = 0.001), and no change in magnesium (p = 0.424). Patients with post hemodialysis QTc dispersion >74 ms had significantly low mean values of serum potassium and calcium as compared to <74 ms group. Large numbers of hemodialysis patients have a prolonged QTc interval and QTc dispersion with a significant increase in the mean values after hemodialysis. There is a significant fall in serum potassium and rise in serum calcium after dialysis.


Introduction Appalachia, particularly Rural East Tennessee, has been and continues to be disproportionately impacted by opioid use disorder and its many tragic ramifications. Purpose Community-engaged strategies can inform and support the development of relevant prevention efforts. Hence, people connected to a ten-county rural Appalachian region in East Tennessee were asked to identify and prioritize strengths and challenges related to opioid use disorder (OUD). Methods Adult community members (n=577) completed a brief survey administered across 11 days in 2019. Results Of the respondents, 85.3% never had been addicted to opioids, but 74.0% had someone close to them with OUD. The most frequently selected community strength was support for people with OUD to seek help and the most frequently selected challenge was lack of treatment and recovery services. People with personal OUD experience reported significantly higher mean levels of OUD-related stigma compared to persons without such experience. Implications The number of respondents indicates a local concern and commitment related to OUD in rural Appalachia. The findings prioritized areas of focus—both in needs to be addressed and strengths on which to capitalize. These community insights will guide the selection and development of OUD-related overdose prevention for this region.


This paper presents a strategy for optimization of a fuzzy logic controller based on a control scheme, which consists of a fuzzy logic controller and a conventional derivative controller. For this purpose, we first choose a set of membership functions regarding change-in-error e/spl dot/, which represent the feedback of velocity. Then we optimize them using neural network in self-organizing process. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, we report a number of simulation results involving both step and tracking control of a nonlinear plant.<<ETX>>


ABSTRACT In this research work, Zinc(II) and Aluminum(III)-IIP's were synthesized by optimizing the amount of methacrylic acid as monomer, divinylbenzene as cross-linker. The IIP's were functionalized with 8-hydroxy quinolone complexes of the two metal ions under thermal conditions by copolymerization with monomer and cross-linker. The IIP's and Non-IIP's were characterized using FT-IR, TGA, and SEM analysis. A quite remarkable difference in the size was observed of the polymers (Zn(II) 1.0 µm and Al(III) 0.1 µm). A stronger affinity was observed with IIP in comparison with Non-IIP at pH 3.1 and 4.5 for Zn(II) and Al(III) ions on their respective polymers. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


Significance We demonstrate the ability of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) to modulate and direct cellular functions of human stem cells through photothermal modulation. The global gene expression profile of stem cells reveals significant influence on integrins, cellular migration, and wound healing by photothermal modulation of MoS2. The photostimulation of MoS2 may provide new approaches to regulate cellular migration and related functions. Two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanomaterials are an emerging class of biomaterials that are photoresponsive at near-infrared wavelengths (NIR). Here, we demonstrate the ability of 2D MoS2 to modulate cellular functions of human stem cells through photothermal mechanisms. The interaction of MoS2 and NIR stimulation of MoS2 with human stem cells is investigated using whole-transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq). Global gene expression profile of stem cells reveals significant influence of MoS2 and NIR stimulation of MoS2 on integrins, cellular migration, and wound healing. The combination of MoS2 and NIR light may provide new approaches to regulate and direct these cellular functions for the purposes of regenerative medicine as well as cancer therapy.


With the increased availability of large electronic health records databases comes the chance of enhancing health risks screening. Most post-marketing detection of adverse drug reaction (ADR) relies on physicians' spontaneous reports, leading to under-reporting. To take up this challenge, we develop a scalable model to estimate the effect of multiple longitudinal features (drug exposures) on a rare longitudinal outcome. Our procedure is based on a conditional Poisson regression model also known as self-controlled case series (SCCS). To overcome the need of precise risk periods specification, we model the intensity of outcomes using a convolution between exposures and step functions, which are penalized using a combination of group-Lasso and total-variation. Up to our knowledge, this is the first SCCS model with flexible intensity able to handle multiple longitudinal features in a single model. We show that this approach improves the state-of-the-art in terms of mean absolute error and computation time for the estimation of relative risks on simulated data. We apply this method on an ADR detection problem, using a cohort of diabetic patients extracted from the large French national health insurance database (SNIIRAM), a claims database containing medical reimbursements of more than 53 million people. This work has been done in the context of a research partnership between Ecole Polytechnique and CNAMTS (in charge of SNIIRAM).


Bois noir (BN) is a grapevine yellows disease caused by a phytoplasma of the Stolbur group (16SrXII-A). The planthopper Hyalesthes obsoletus is known to be the principal vector and can accidentally transmit the phytoplasma from its herbaceous host plants to grapevine ( Vitis vinifera ). Due to the increasing incidence of BN over the last decade, a monitoring study was conducted in South Tyrol (Northern Italy). Over a period of up to four years, 659 insect vector samples, 516 herbaceous plants of 41 potential host plant species as well as 56 grapevine samples from BN-affected vineyards were tested for the presence of the Stolbur phytoplasma using a nested PCR procedure. In addition, a recently developed TaqMan allelic discrimination assay was employed to determine different subtypes of BN in infected samples. The Stolbur phytoplasma could be detected in all three sample types analysed, and was shown to belong to two different subtypes, VK type I and VK type II. In most vineyards one subtype was found to be predominant. The average infection rate of H. obsoletus amounted to 24.1 %. Analysis of herbaceous plants revealed that 25.1 % of the Convolvulus arvensis samples tested positive for the BN phytoplasma, as well as 4.5 % of the Urtica dioica samples. Taken together, our results underline the role of these two species commonly found in the undergrowth vegetation of South Tyrolean vineyards as an important reservoir of the Stolbur phytoplasma.


The World Health Organization (WHO) defines the primary healthcare center (PHC) as a whole-of-society approach to health that aims at ensuring the highest possible level of health and well-being and their equitable distribution by focusing on people's needs as early as possible along the continuum from health promotion and disease prevention to treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care, and as close as feasibly possible to people's everyday environment. PHCs are expected to remain operational when disasters occur. This study aimed to assess the PHC disaster preparedness level in Indonesia using The Hospital Safety Index (HSI) from WHO/PAHO. Eleven PHCs located in four provinces in Indonesia, i.e., Jakarta, Yogyakarta, North Sumatera, and West Java, were selected. Data were collected through interviews, focus-group discussions (FGDs), observations, and document reviews. The parameters assessed were all types of hazards, structural or construction safety, nonstructural safety, and functional attributes. The results show that the overall score of HSI for PHCs in Jakarta (0.674) and North Sumatera (0.752) fell into the "A" category, meaning that these PHCs would likely remain operational in the case of disasters. Meanwhile, the overall HSI scores for PHCs in West Java (0.601) and Yogyakarta (0.602) were between 0.36 and 0.65, or in "B" category, meaning that these PHCs would be able to recover during disasters but several services would be exposed to danger. The results suggested that there are several gaps that need urgent interventions to be applied for the structural safety of buildings, water supply systems, fuel storage, disaster committee organization, furniture and fittings, offices and storage equipment, as well as increasing the capacity of workers through a structured and systematic training framework for disaster readiness. The results from this study can be used for prioritizing budgets and resource allocation, cost planning, providing specific solutions for local and national government, and efforts to achieve disaster risk reduction.


Introduction To compare the safety and efficacy of high frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) with conventional mechanical ventilation (CV) for early intervention in adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a multi-centre randomized trial in four intensive care units was conducted. Methods Patients with ARDS were randomized to receive either HFOV or CV. In both treatment arms a priority was given to maintain lung volume while minimizing peak pressures. CV ventilation strategy was aimed at reducing tidal volumes. In the HFOV group, an open lung strategy was used. Respiratory and circulatory parameters were recorded and clinical outcome was determined at 30 days of follow up. Results The study was prematurely stopped. Thirty-seven patients received HFOV and 24 patients CV (average APACHE II score 21 and 20, oxygenation index 25 and 18 and duration of mechanical ventilation prior to randomization 2.1 and 1.5 days, respectively). There were no statistically significant differences in survival without supplemental oxygen or on ventilator, mortality, therapy failure, or crossover. Adjustment by a priori defined baseline characteristics showed an odds ratio of 0.80 (95% CI 0.22–2.97) for survival without oxygen or on ventilator, and an odds ratio for mortality of 1.15 (95% CI 0.43–3.10) for HFOV compared with CV. The response of the oxygenation index (OI) to treatment did not differentiate between survival and death. In the HFOV group the OI response was significantly higher than in the CV group between the first and the second day. A post hoc analysis suggested that there was a relatively better treatment effect of HFOV compared with CV in patients with a higher baseline OI. Conclusion No significant differences were observed, but this trial only had power to detect major differences in survival without oxygen or on ventilator. In patients with ARDS and higher baseline OI, however, there might be a treatment benefit of HFOV over CV. More research is needed to establish the efficacy of HFOV in the treatment of ARDS. We suggest that future studies are designed to allow for informative analysis in patients with higher OI. R430 ARDS = adult respiratory distress syndrome; CDP = continuous distending pressure; CI = confidence interval; CV = conventional mechanical ventilation; FiO2 = fraction of inspired oxygen; HFOV = high frequency oscillatory ventilation; MAP = mean airway pressure; OI = oxygenation index; OR = odds ratio; paCO2 = pressure of arterial carbon dioxide; paO2 = pressure of arterial oxygen; PEEP = positive end-expiratory pressure; SaO2 = arterial oxygen saturation. Critical Care Vol 9 No 4 Bollen et al. R43


In 57 patients with stenosis or occlusion of the terminal segment of abdominal aorta the authors measured the myocardial mass and the end diastolic volume of the left ventricle before the operation and 15-20 days after it (shunting or prosthesis of bifurcation of the abdominal aorta). Prior to operation increase of the myocardial mass of the left ventricle was found in 77.2% of patients. Patients with normal blood pressure had an increase in the myocardial mass at the expense of the thickening of the ventricular wall only, in patients with increased BP there was an increase in the thickness of the ventricular wall and also in the end diastolic volume. After the operation in patients with normal BP myocardial mass of the left ventricle reverted to normal. In patients with high BP the myocardial mass and the end diastolic volume of the left ventricle decreased. Myocardial hypertrophy in the patients studied is due to the increased resistance to blood ejection from the left ventricle caused by stenosis or occlusion of the abdominal aorta.


The World Wide Web grew rapidly during the last decades and is used by millions of people every day for online shopping, banking, networking, and other activities. Many of these websites are developed with PHP, the most popular scripting language on the Web. However, PHP code is prone to different types of critical security vulnerabilities that can lead to data leakage, server compromise, or attacks against an application's users. This problem can be addressed by analyzing the source code of the application for security vulnerabilities before the application is deployed on a web server. In this paper, we present a novel approach for the precise static analysis of PHP code to detect security vulnerabilities in web applications. As dismissed by previous work in this area, a comprehensive configuration and simulation of over 900 PHP built-in features allows us to precisely model the highly dynamic PHP language. By performing an intra- and inter-procedural data flow analysis and by creating block and function summaries, we are able to efficiently perform a backward-directed taint analysis for 20 different types of vulnerabilities. Furthermore, string analysis enables us to validate sanitization in a context-sensitive manner. Our method is the first to perform fine-grained analysis of the interaction between different types of sanitization, encoding, sources, sinks, markup contexts, and PHP settings. We implemented a prototype of our approach in a tool called RIPS. Our evaluation shows that RIPS is capable of finding severe vulnerabilities in popular real-world applications: we reported 73 previously unknown vulnerabilities in five well-known PHP applications such as phpBB, osCommerce, and the conference management software HotCRP.


The last twenty million years (Maastrichtian–Santonian) of Southern Hemisphere plesiosaur history is especially well recorded in the Weddellian Province (Patagonia; Western Antarctica and New Zealand). The oldest Late Cretaceous plesiosaurs, two specimens referred to Polycotylidae indet., come from the Santonian levels of the Santa Marta Formation, while the oldest elasmosaurids come from the lower Campanian of the same formation. In the lower Maastrichtian of the Snow Hill Island Formation the non-aristonectine elasmosaurid Vegasaurus molyi is recorded together with other non-diagnosable elasmosaurid specimens, but no aristonectines are present. Aristonectines appears in the Antarctic record in the upper Maastrichtian of the Lopez de Bertodano Formation and are represented by Morturneria and cf. Aristonectes. The specimens from the upper Campanian previously referred to Aristonectinae indet. are referred to Elasmosauridae indet., shortening the temporal record of Aristonectinae in Antarctica. Therefore aristonectines appears in the Antarctic record in the upper Maastrichtian of the Lopez de Bertodano Formation and are represented by Morturneria and cf. Aristonectes. The Antarctic Cretaceous elasmosaurids show a paleobiogeographic connection with South America and New Zealand (Weddellian Province). This connection is indicated by the shared presence of the Aristonectinae Kaiwhekea katiki (New Zealand) and Aristonectes (Argentina and Chile). Recent phylogenetic analysis recovered the aristonectines within the Weddellonectia clade, which includes the aristonectines and the non-aristonectines Vegasaurus molyi (Isla Vega, Antarctica); Kawanectes lafquenianum (Argentina); Morenosaurus stocki and Aphrosaurus furlongi (California). Among the Weddellonectia, the aristonectines show a relatively large body size and extremely derived features and probably occupied a trophic niche that differed from the trophic niche of other elasmosaurids. By way of contrast Kawanectes lafquenianum is an extremely small body-sized elasmosaurid restricted to marginal marine (probably estuarine) environments. Therefore the Weddellonectia show high morphological and probably high ecological diversity. Citation: O'Gorman J P, Otero R, Reguero M, et al. Cretaceous Antarctic plesiosaurs: stratigraphy, systematics and paleobiogeography. Adv Polar Sci, 2019, 30(3): 210-227, doi: 10.13679/j.advps.2018.0049


We present a density functional theory study on the thermal bistability of a number of photochromic diarylethenes, with emphasis on the free energy barrier of the ground-state ring-opening process. We found that the free energy barrier is correlated with the geometrical and vibrational character of the transition state, in particular the distance between the two reactive carbon atoms, the out-of-plane angles of the methyl groups at the reactive carbon atoms, and the imaginary vibrational frequency. Based on these relationships we propose a linear fitting expression for the free energy barrier in terms of the three aforementioned transition-state quantities and obtained a correlation coefficient of R(2) = 0.971. In this way quantum chemical calculations may provide insight and structure-property relationships, which can be applied in the development of novel photochromic materials.


The study was conducted to investigate the effects of different levels of buckwheat seed (BWS) with black cumin seed (BCS) supplementation on the performance, serum lipid profile and intestinal bacterial flora in broiler chicks. One hundred and twenty day-old Cobb-500 broiler chicks were randomly allotted equally to four experimental groups, designated T1 (untreated control, no BWS and BCS); T2 (10% BWS + 1.5% BCS); T3 (20% BWS + 2.5% BCS); and T4 (30% BWS + 3.5% BCS), respectively. The study lasted for 30 days. Average bodyweight, weight gain, total feed intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and serum lipid profile (serum total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides) were determined and intestinal bacterial flora (total viable bacteria, Escherichia coli , Salmonella and Lactobacillus sp.) were counted. The results of the study showed that BWS and BCS significantly improved final bodyweight gain of group T2 compared with the control group. Higher levels of buckwheat and black cumin did not improve growth performance of the chicks. Serum cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations significantly decreased with an elevation of HDL-cholesterol concentration as the level of BWS and BCS increased. In BWS diets supplemented with BCS pathogenic bacteria, E. coli and Salmonella spp. were suppressed. These findings suggest that 10% BWS with 1.5% BCS supplementation to broiler ration could be considered an alternative to hazardous synthetic antibiotics for safe poultry production. Keywords: Antibiotic, intestinal bacteria, organic feed, poultry, serum metabolites


Industrial espionage, malware, and targeted attacks bring about a certain stigma. These terms have been around for decades and in many cases become cliché. Yet, they bring a new meaning when dealing with Industrial Control Systems (ICS). ICS systems provide a myriad of functions such as pipeline control, monitoring of the fermentation process in a brewery, and traffic light control. These systems are no longer contained. They are connected, exposed, and vulnerable. Successful exploitation and malicious manipulation of these systems can cause loss of life, physical damage, and lost revenue for many organizations. Havex is a recently discovered piece of malware that targets ICS systems exclusively. Traditional defenses have a difficult time detecting and mitigating this type of targeted threat. This paper will examine this attack and will discuss two of the SANS 20 Critical Security Controls that will help to mitigate this threat. ! ! The Spy with a License to Kill | 2 Matthew'Hosburgh,'email@example.com'


In This paper we have applied the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) which is realized by an appropriate combination of fuzzy systems and neural networks for forecasting a set of input and output data of internet traffic time series. Several statistical criteria are applied to provide the effectiveness of this model. The obtained results demonstrate that the ANFIS model present a good precision in the prediction process of internet traffic in terms of statistical indicators. This model fits well real data and provides an effective description of network condition at different times.


Self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) placement has been widely accepted to be a safe and effective option for palliation of the symptoms caused by malignant esophageal strictures and for occlusion of malignant esophago-respiratory fistulae. Covered stents, preventing ingrowth of tumor through the metal mesh, are now the most commonly used metal stents in patients with esophageal cancer; however,they are more likely to migrate than bare metal stents. New devices with various modifications in size, flares and material have been designed to overcome the unwanted sequela of stent placement. Self-expandable plastic stents (SEPS) have been developed to overcome tissue ingrowth, there to offering lower costs, increased levels of radial expansion and the possibility of stent repositioning/removal. This article reviews current knowledge regarding the commercialised type of SEPS, the Polyflex stent (Boston Scientific, USA), including description, placement technique, and complications. Literature in the area of SEPS for malignant strictures, along with an overview of Polyflex series for malignant strictures is also discussed.


This study examined children's accuracy in response to truth–lie competency questions asked in court. The participants included 164 child witnesses in criminal child sexual abuse cases tried in Los Angeles County over a 5-year period (1997–2001) and 154 child witnesses quoted in the U.S. state and federal appellate cases over a 35-year period (1974–2008). The results revealed that judges virtually never found children incompetent to testify, but children exhibited substantial variability in their performance based on question-type. Definition questions, about the meaning of the truth and lies, were the most difficult largely due to errors in response to "Do you know" questions. Questions about the consequences of lying were more difficult than questions evaluating the morality of lying. Children exhibited high rates of error in response to questions about whether they had ever told a lie. Attorneys rarely asked children hypothetical questions in a form that has been found to facilitate performance. Defense attorneys asked a higher proportion of the more difficult question types than prosecutors. The findings suggest that children's truth–lie competency is underestimated by courtroom questioning and support growing doubts about the utility of the competency requirements.


Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that is functionally characterized by variability of lung function and bronchial hyper-responsiveness. Its diagnosis and management is commonly hampered by the lack of objective parameters. This article reviews additional techniques for evaluating both, lung function (bronchial challenge with adenosin-monophosphate, lung resistance measurement by either the impulse oscillometry system or whole body pletismography) and bronchial immuno-inflammatory response (induced sputum, condensates of exhaled air, monitoring of nitric oxide in exhaled air), as well as our experience with them.


Background Arachnoidal cysts are cystic lesions filled with a cerebrospinal-fluid-like content within the leptomeninges. Usually arachnoidal cysts represent a congenital malformation. Clinical signs (increased intracranial pressure and/or neurological defects) may become apparent in children or young adults. Patient A sixteen year old boy was referred to our outpatient clinic because of blurred vision in both eyes since five days. The patient complained of cephalgia and of an increased sleep requirement in the last two weeks. Morphological findings were within the normal range. The visual acuity was 0.7 in the right eye and 0.2 in the left eye. The visual fields showed an incomplete homonymous hemianopia to the right. The CT and MRI revealed a retrosellar arachnoidal cyst. Two weeks after fenestration of the cyst the visual acuity had risen to 1.3 in both eyes and the visual field defects had disappeared nearly completely. Conclusion A retrosellar arachnoidal cyst can impair the visual pathway. Early fenestration prevents permanent damage.


Malaysian forests are blessed with diversity of wood species not only become a source of income to Malaysia in terms of timber trading but also provide its citizens with wood material for various uses. However, all untreated wood exposed to tropical condition is predisposed to high termite and decay hazard and therefore untreated wood needed to be protected using wood protective chemicals. The objectives of this study were to collect and identify termite genus that caused destructive damages to wood and wood products, to provide baseline data on selected basic wood properties and natural durability of selected wood species to termites. Besides that, it was essential to determine the wood protection of selected species using different treatment methods and wood protective chemicals (diesel and dead engine oil, Light organic solvent preservative (LOSP) and agro-insecticides). Treated wood was exposed to the aboveground termite test simulating Hazard Class 2 condition. Information on basic physical properties, extractive contents and natural durability of tested woods had been recorded. The natural durability study found out that a total of 11 out of 69 tested species were regarded as highly susceptible and visually rated 0. Examples of non-durable wood were Aglaia borneensis, Dyera polyphylla, Neolamarckia cadamba, Adinandra borneensis and Hevea brasiliensis. There were 25 out of 69 tested species were found to be moderately resistant to termite and these species were rated 6.5 to 8.9. Examples of these species were Koompassia malaccensis, Canarium apertum, Azadirachta excelsa, Kokoona reflexa and Heritiera aurea. There were 17 wood species considered resistant to termites (rating 9 – 9.4). Examples of these species were Acacia mangium, Anisoptera grossivenia and Palaquium spp. There were 12 out of 69 regarded as highly resistant to termite with rating (≥9.5). Examples of these species were Artocarpus anisophyllus, Upuna borneensis and Eusideroxylon zwageri. This study also confirmed that the natural durability of Dipterocarpus spp. varies depending on the species tested. In experiment 3, H. brasiliensis, A. mangium and pine ply were dip-treated using diesel revealed that these woods dip-treated using diesel oil achieved good protection to wood (rating: 9.5 – 9.7). In experiment 4, K. reflexa, A. borneensis and C. apertum were dip-treated and vacuum pressure-treated using LOSP. It was found that vaccum pressure-treated wood using LOSP achieved good protection to wood (rating: 9.2 – 10). Dip-treated H. brasiliensis, K. malaccensis in experiment 5 and also N. cadamba in experiment 6 using 6.3 and 12.5% chlorpyrifos, 1.68 and 3.35% cypermethrin as well as 3.38 and 6.75% permethrin were found completely protecting the wood from termites (rating: 10). In experiment 7, H. brasiliensis and N. cadamba were vacuum pressure-treated to target retentions of different agro-insecticides. Wood vacuum pressure-treated to target retentions of 0.1% m/m cypermethrin were well protected from termites (rating: 9.5 – 10). Good protection (rating: 9.3 – 9.5) had been achieved in wood vacuum pressure-treated to target retentions of 0.0051% m/m deltamethrin. In conclusion, genus Coptotermes proven to be prevalent insect pest. Besides that, baseline data of wood physical properties, extractive contents and natural durability of tested wood species had been documented. Diesel and LOSP treatment can be effectively use in wood protection. For dipping treatment, 6.3 and 12.5% chlorpyrifos, 1.68 and 3.35% cypermethrin, 3.38 and 6.75% permethrin were found completely protecting the wood. It was also proven that target retentions used in other countries may not applicable to be used in tropical region.


In this paper we are concerned with second order schemes which are easy to use, and apply readily to nonlinear equations. We examine the stability restrictions for such schemes using linear stability analysis, and illustrate their behaviour on Burgers'' equation.


Aerial architecture and reproductive success in higher plants is determined by the formation of secondary axes of growth which are formed by axillary meristems initiated post-embryonically in the axils of leaves. Among the genetic modulators of axillary meristem fate in Arabidopsis is LATERAL SUPPRESSOR, a putative transcription factor belonging to the GRAS family, which specifically regulates the initiation of axillary meristems during the vegetative phase of development. The aim of this work was to study the mechanism of LAS function in the meristem and to identify new regulators of axillary meristem initiation in Arabidopsis. To study the spatio-temporal specification of its function, LAS was misexpressed from promoters of meristematic genes possessing adjoining or overlapping expression domains in the SAM. Analysis of STM::LAS, KNAT1::LAS and UFO::LAS transgenic plants in las-4 background revealed partial to complete complementation of the las-4 branching phenotype, but did not lead to the formation of ectopic meristems. These results imply a function for LAS in maintaining the meristematic potential in axillary cells which can later initiate axillary meristems upon activation by other developmental cues. A potential mechanism of LAS function in axillary meristems was investigated by GA spraying experiments and complementation analysis of LAS::GAI and LAS::GAI DELLA transgenic plants in las-4 mutant background. Preliminary results indicate a role for LAS as a regulator of GA signaling in axillary meristems. To identify new regulators of axillary meristem development, two approaches were employed. Firstly, an EMS mutagenesis screen was carried out to identify supperssors of the las-4 max1-1 phenotype. Characterisation of three suppressor of las-4 (sol) candidates, sol2, sol6 and sol7, revealed three novel loci that regulate axillary meristem development. sol2, sol6 and sol7 complemented the branching defect in las-4 max1-1 to different degrees and were found to be non-allelic to each other. Their phenotypes were dependent on the las-4 mutation. Molecular mapping of two of these loci is underway. Secondly, the NAC domain transcription factors CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON1, CUC2 and CUC3, exhibiting a characteristic expression pattern in the axils of leaf primordia, were investigated for potential roles in the development of axillary meristems. Investigation of loss-of-function mutants of these genes revealed that cuc3-2 is impaired in axillary bud formation, and that the severity of this phenotype is day length dependent. Transcripts of the other two CUC genes, CUC1 and CUC2, are targeted for degradation by miR164. Overexpression of MIR164A or MIR164B in the cuc3-2 mutant caused an almost complete block in axillary bud development. Conversely, plants harbouring miR164-resistant alleles of CUC1 and CUC2 developed accessory buds in rosette and cauline leaf axils, revealing redundant functions of CUC1 and CUC2 in axillary meristem development. Development of accessory buds was also observed in mir164 mutants. Thus, the role of CUC genes and miR164 in regulation of axillary meristem development was unveiled in this study.


Increasing levels of reactive nitrogen (N) deposition have been shown to affect bacterial and fungal abundances in soils across a wide variety of terrestrial ecosystems, potentially influencing stabilization of excess inorganic N and associated detrimental ecological effects. However, few studies have investigated these changes in sensitive alpine systems or considered potential seasonal variation in microbial abundance. In the present study, soil samples were collected periodically throughout the course of a single growing season from plots subjected to long-term experimental N additions located in an alpine tundra dry meadow community on Niwot Ridge, Colorado. To examine recovery potential of plots impacted by long-term elevated N deposition, half of each experimental plot stopped receiving N treatment in 2007. Fungal to bacterial ratio (fungi:bacteria) was measured to estimate potential N leaching and destabilization of soil microbial communities due to increased N deposition. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis was used on bulked soil samples to quantify both the effects of chronic N amendment on fungi:bacteria and recovery potential of fungi:bacteria in those same soils following cessation of N additions. Fungi:bacteria was found to change differently in response to N addition at different points during the growing season, driven primarily by changes in fungal abundance, with a decreased fungi:bacteria during the early growing season, no change to fungi:bacteria during the late growing season, and an increased fungi:bacteria during senescence. An overall decrease in microbial biomass with N addition was also observed, independent of growing season. The decrease in fungi:bacteria during the early season had a greater magnitude than the increase in fungi:bacteria during the late season, possibly inhibiting this community's ability to act as an N sink overall. Additionally, there was no indication of recovery of microbial biomass from cessation of the N treatment after 7 years, indicating that the lowered capacity of the soil to stabilize inorganic N due to both the decrease in overall microbial biomass and fungi:bacteria may persist even if N deposition rates decrease to previous levels. These results suggest that increasing N deposition will be a significant factor driving changes in microbial abundance and fungi:bacteria in alpine tundra soils, possibly leading to long-term destabilization of alpine soil microbial communities and inorganic N storage.


This study proposes indicators that guide the induction, contraction and monitoring of scientific research whose funding source is government resources. The bibliographic research methodology enabled the mapping of a set of variables through the application of questionnaires to specialists and the use of the Fuzzy Delphi technique in order to analyze the selected variables selected validated by the specialists. The results identified 34 important indicators that can guide the induction, contracting, monitoring and results of scientific research to reduce any discrepancies in the analysis of research projects financed by organizations and instances that promote scientific research. Such validated indicators can serve as important public policy indicators to optimize the use of research resources. It is possible to conclude that the proposal favors the development of a research project management flow as reflected in the systematic use of indicators.


Interior-surface condensation on the glazed curtain wall of high-rise residential buildings is an important environmental issue in Korea. There are three causes of the surface condensation. One is the curtain wall frame materials, another is the generated moisture from residents' behaviors such as cooking and drying the laundry, the other is inadequate ventilation caused by stack effect. The purpose of this study is to analyze the hourly occurrence of interior-surface condensation on the glazed curtain wall for the comparison to design alternatives at the design stage of high-rise residential buildings by using numerical models. The results can be summarized as follows; The possibility of condensation occurrence in the upper floors is higher than that in the lower floorsdue to the stack effect.


Carob pod has been widely used in food industry as a feed for livestock and human consumption, including sweets, biscuits and processed pekmez; a Turkish traditional carob concentrate and thus attracted the attention of producers with increasing market value. With their suitable content, carob extract are known to be utilized by using fermentation methods. The effect of various fermentation parameters such as pH, media content and inoculum size were evaluated for ethanol fermentation in carob extract. Also, in order to determine economically appropriate nitrogen sources, four different nitrogen sources were evaluated. The optimum extraction condition for carob extract was determined to be 80°C, 2h in 1:4 dilution rate (fruit: water ratio) according to the result of response surface analysis (115.3 g/L). When the fermentation with pH at 5.5 was applied, the final ethanol concentration and production rates were 42.6 g/L and 3.37 g/L/h, respectively, which were higher than using an uncontrolled pH. Among inocula sizes of 1-5%, 3% was determined as the best inoculum size. The maximum production rate and final ethanol concentration were 3.48 g/L/h and 44.51%, respectively, with an alternative nitrogen source of Meat-Bone Meal. Overall, this study suggested that carob extract can be utilized for production of ethanol in order to meet the demands of renewable energy.


A novel high-frequency transformer linked full-bridge type soft-switching phase-shift pulsewidth modulated (PWM) controlled dc-dc power converter is presented, which can be used as a power conditioner for small-scale photovoltaic and fuel cell power generation systems as well as isolated boost dc-dc power converter for automotive ac power supply. In these applications with low-voltage large-current sources, the full-bridge circuit is the most attractive topology due to the possibility of using low-voltage high-performance metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) and achieving high efficiency of the dc-dc power converter. A tapped-inductor filter including the freewheeling diode is newly implemented in the output stage of the full-bridge phase-shift PWM dc-dc converter to achieve soft-switching operation for the wide load variation range. Moreover, in the proposed converter circuit, the circulating current is effectively minimized without using additional resonant circuit and auxiliary power switching devices. The practical effectiveness of the proposed soft-switching dc-dc power converter was verified in laboratory level experiment with 1 kW 100 kHz breadboard setup using power MOSFETs. Actual efficiency of 94-97% was obtained for the wide duty cycle and load variation ranges.


Is there too much money behind US political campaigns or is it more a question of where the money flows? In Campaign Finance and Political Polarization: When Purists Prevail, Raymond J. La Raja and Brian F. Schaffner present their argument in favour of giving more, rather than less, money to political parties in order to reduce the polarisation that characterises the US political system. While she questions the extrapolation of state-level analysis to the federal level, Melissa M. Smith praises the cogent delivery of the book's central claim, even if it remains to be seen if the authors' points will make it into practice.


The management of prostate cancer represents a real clinical problem for its unknown natural history, and unpredictable outcome and prognosis. The stage is the most important prognostic variable of any tumor. The use of nomograms, such as Partin's tables, supplies important information for the evaluation of the local stage. Nevertheless, these methods have low reliability because they do not use anatomical information of the gland. The development of MRI techniques incorporating high-resolution anatomical evaluation of the prostate in conjunction with metabolic information (MRI spectroscopy) offer the imaging technique of choice for the staging of prostate cancer in selected patients candidates to curative surgery. Prostate MRI offers the most reliable evaluation of local and regional staging. Anyway, many studies have described a wide variability in the reliability of prostate cancer staging by MRI, indicating that MRI is not a perfect imaging test because it cannot detect microscopic involvement. The objective of this article is to evaluate the current role of prostatic MRI for prostate cancer staging, evaluating its advantages, limitations and future expectations.


Activation of platelets is essential to prevent excessive blood loss at the site of vascular injury. These highly reactive cell fragments are also involved in several pathological conditions, in particular arterial thrombosis, which, in the coronary vessels, can lead to reduced blood flow, vessel occlusion and myocardial infarction.The present research was focused on the anti-platelet properties, mechanisms of actions, and interactions of GEA 3175 and adenosine. The former a novel nitric oxidecontaining and cyclic GMP-elevating compound, the latter a cyclic AMP-elevating · purine nucleoside. Separately, the two substances significantly reduced the cytosolic , Ca2+ responses, but only marginally suppressed subsequent functional responses in thrombin-stimulated human platelets. However, coadministration of the compounds synergistically inhibited platelet aggregation and abolished dense granule secretion 1 and exposure of P-selectin, and also markedly reduced binding of fibrinogen to the i surface of platelets. The results imply that the stronger inhibition of platelet functions was due to potent blocking of the initial Ca2+ transient and abrogation of mechanisms involved in the influx of extracellular Ca2+. Together, the findings clearly manifest the importance of an interaction between different inhibitory intracellular pathways in order to completely suppress the activity of tbrombin activated platelets.Cell- and drug-comparative studies revealed that GEA 3175 provoked aremarkable long-acting inhibition of contractile responses and a concomitant i sustained increase in cyclic GMP levels in airway smooth muscle tissue. The mechanisms of relaxation involved iberiotoxin-sensitive K + channels and okadaic ' acid-sensitive phosphatases. Separately, GEA 3175 and adenosine markedly inhibited the respiratory burst in chemoattractant-activated neutrophil granulocytes. Opposite to the situation in platelets, the two compounds did not interact synergistically and coadministration had only a negligible effect on cytosolic Ca2+ signals in neutrophils. These data clearly demonstrate cell type-specific responses to cyclic GMP- and cyclic AMP-elevating agents.This thesis also delineates the regulatory effects of platelets on neutrophil cellular and intracellular responses. Simple mixture of suspensions of human platelets and neutrophils caused prominent changes in the neutrophil in regard to cytoskeletal arrangement, cytosolic Ca2+ responsiveness, and capacity to generate reactive oxygen species. Platelet-derived factor(s) induced a marked suppression of the respiratory burst in activated neutrophils, an effect attributed to peripheral accumulation of ! filamentous actin and enhanced release of endogenous adenosine from the neutrophil. The chemotactic-peptide-induced rise in cytosolic Ca2+ in neutrophils was dramatically amplified in the presence of platelets, and ATP released from the platelets may play a role in this priming phenomenon, However, additional experiments showed that the amplified Ca2+ response was virtually independent of the state of activation of the platelet, required extracellular Ca2+ ions, and was completely insensitive to the NO-donor GEA 3175. Further analysis strongly indicated that platelets affected the cyclic AMP-sensitive phase of the Ca2+ response in neutrophils. In conclusion, multiple mediators and mechanisms participate in the platelet-mediated modulation of neutrophil responses, and greater understanding of the complex mechanisms and consequences of the interactions between these blood cells may provide useful information for the design of pharmacological tools and methods to control the inflammatory reaction.


OBJECTIVE
To estimate seroprevalence of Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis (MAP) infection among adult dairy cows in Colorado and determine herd-level factors associated with the risk that individual cows would be seropositive.

DESIGN
Cross-sectional observational study.

ANIMALS
10,280 adult (> or = 2 years old) dairy cows in 15 herds in Colorado.

PROCEDURE
Serum samples were tested with a commercial ELISA. A herd was considered to be infected with MAP if results of mycobacterial culture of > or = 1 individual cow fecal sample were positive or if > or = 1 culled cow had histologic evidence of MAP infection.

RESULTS
424 of the 10,280 (4.12%) cows were seropositive. Within-herd prevalence of seropositive cows ranged from 0% to 7.82% (mean, 2.6%). Infection was confirmed in 11 dairies. Cows in herds that had imported > or = 8% of their current herd size annually during the preceding 5 years were 3.28 times as likely to be seropositive as were cows in herds that imported < 8%. Cows in herds with > or = 600 lactating cows were 3.12 times as likely to be seropositive as were cows in herds with < 600 lactating cows. Cows in herds with a history of clinical signs of MAP infection were 2.27 times as likely to be seropositive as were cows in herds without clinical signs.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Annual importation rate, herd size, and whether cows in the herd had clinical signs typical of MAP infection were associated with the risk that individual cows would be seropositive for MAP infection.


We provide an optimal control framework for efficiently coupling light in a bare fiber into Bragg gratings with a cubic nonlinearity. The light-grating interaction excites gap solitons, a type of localized nonlinear coherent state which propagates with a central frequency in the forbidden band gap, resulting in a dramatically slower group velocity. Due to the nature of the band gap, a substantial amount of light is back-reflected by the grating's strong reflective properties. We optimize, via a projected gradient descent method, the transmission efficiency of previously designed nonuniform grating structures in order to couple more slow light into the grating. We further explore the space of possible grating designs, using genetic algorithms, along with a previously unexplored design parameter: the grating chirp. Through these methods, we find structures that couple a greater fraction of light into the grating with the added bonus of creating slower pulses.


ABSTRACT Background: With the development of information technology (IT) and medical technology, medical information has been developed from traditional paper-based records into up-to-date medical information exchange system called personal health record (PHR). Empowering PHR provides health awareness and intention for health promotion. Objective: The purpose of this study was to present a research framework to examine individuals' intention to PHR use. Methods: This cross-sectional study used the questionnaire to collect data from the individual in Taiwan. Individual's intention to use PHR has been examined by a framework based on extended technology acceptance model (TAM), with gender and health-care technology self-efficacy (HTSE) as external variables. Additionally, gender differences were explored in perceptions and relationships among factors influencing an individual's intention to PHR use. The research framework was evaluated by structural equation modeling (SEM) and represented by Analysis of a Moment Structures (AMOS). Results: A total of 234 valid responses were used for analysis. The results suggest that the extended TAM model explains 40.6% of the variance of intention to PHR use (R2 = 0.406). The findings also supported that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitude toward using PHR significantly influenced individual's intention to PHR use. Additionally, results also indicated that women were more strongly influenced by perceptions of HTSE. Conclusions: The extended TAM model contributes reasonable explanation for interprets and anticipates of individuals' intention to use and adopt PHR. Moreover, the results have provided support for HTSE and gender as significant variables in TAM. However, the study identified three relevant factors directly and one factor indirectly influencing on individuals' intention to PHR use. Thus, health care providers and hospital authorities must take these factors and gender difference into consideration in the development and validation of the theories regarding the acceptance of PHR. Based on the findings, the theoretical and practical implications are discussed.


High concentrations of indole are known to be toxic to cells due to perturbations in membrane potential. Here, we report for the first time a transcriptome analysis of a soil model bacterium, Pseudomonas putida KT2440, under indole treatment. We demonstrated that 47 genes are differentially expressed, including 11 genes involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle) and 12 genes involved in chaperone and protease functions (hslV, hslU, htpG, grpE, dnaK, ibpA, groEL, groES, clpB, lon-1, lon-2, and hflk). Mutant analysis supported the observation that protease genes including hslU are essential for the indole resistance of Pseudomonas strains. Subsequent biochemical analyses have shown that indole increases the NADH/NAD(+) ratio and decreases the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration inside cells, due to membrane perturbation and higher expression of TCA cycle genes in the presence of indole. This energy reduction leads to a reduction in cell size and an enhancement of biofilm formation in P. putida. The observed upregulation in many chaperones and proteases led us to speculate that protein folding might be inhibited by indole treatment. Interestingly, our in vitro protein-refolding assay using malate dehydrogenase with purified GroEL/GroES demonstrated that indole interferes with protein folding. Taken together, our data provide new evidence that indole causes toxicity to P. putida by inhibiting cellular energy production and protein folding.


ABSTRACT Many teachers are prepared for professional practice by attending Initial Teacher Education (ITE) courses in universities across the world. Under UK legislation, this preparation must equip teachers to address the needs of all children in mainstream classrooms, including learners on the autism spectrum – but does it? In this paper, I will critically explore this question by examining the findings of a research study focusing on a four-year ITE programme in a UK university. The research was designed using qualitative methods (online open-ended questionnaires and focus groups). The key findings were that the majority of students and tutors had some basic autism awareness, but little or no knowledge and understanding of autism teaching strategies. There was a consensus that teachers require both of these to ensure the inclusion of learners with autism in mainstream classrooms. Participants agreed there were currently insufficient inputs on autism on the ITE programme. This was related to a lack of tutor expertise, concerns about medical labelling and questions about ITE curriculum overload and priorities. Participants identified a range of ideas for improving autism education across the ITE programme which will be explored in the second phase of the study.


In order to discover reaction mechanism between ammonia and NOx, reaction process of ammonia and NOx was simulated from the point of kinetics. As a result, NOx removal efficiency was kept in 47.23% ~98.89% at 800°C~1000°C. When NH3/NO was equal or less than 1.5, NOx removal efficiency was enhanced obviously with NH3/NO increasing. NH2 was produced as an important intermediate product in NH3 decomposition. Firstly NH2 was formed in reactions between NH3 and free radicals such as OH, H, O, M. Then NO was directly reduced to N2 by NH2.Therefore, free radicals (especially for NH2, O and H) have important influence on removal efficiency of NOx during ammonia injection.


Objective: to synthesise data on immigrant women's experiences of maternity services in Canada. Design: a qualitative systematic literature review using a meta-ethnographic approach Methods: a comprehensive search strategy of multiple databases was employed in consultation with an information librarian, to identify qualitative research studies published in English or French between 1990 and December 2011 on maternity care experiences of immigrant women in Canada. A modified version of Noblit and Hare's meta-ethnographic theoretical approach was undertaken to develop an inductive and interpretive form of knowledge synthesis. The seven-phase process involved comparative textual analysis of published qualitative studies, including the translation of key concepts and meanings from one study to another to derive second and third-order concepts encompassing more than that offered by any individual study. ATLAS.ti qualitative data analysis software was used to store and manage the studies and synthesise their findings. Findings: the literature search identified 393 papers, of which 22 met the inclusion criteria and were synthesised. The literature contained seven key concepts related to maternity service experiences including social (professional and informal) support, communication, socio-economic barriers, organisational environment, knowledge about maternity services and health care, cultural beliefs and practices, and different expectations between health care staff and immigrant women. Three second-order interpretations served as the foundation for two third-order interpretations. Societal positioning of immigrant women resulted in difficulties receiving high quality maternity health care. Maternity services were an experience in which cultural knowledge and beliefs, and religious and traditional preferences were highly relevant as well but often overlooked in Canadian maternity settings. Key conclusions and implications for practice: in order to implement woman-centered care, to enhance access to maternity services, and to promote immigrant women's health, it is important to consider thesewomen's social position, cultural knowledge and beliefs, and traditional customs in the health care. & 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.