OBJECTIVE
The objective of this systematic review is to explore the impact of liver disease on patients' quality of life in an attempt to develop effective evidence-based recommendations and strategies useful for clinical practice and health care professionals.

INTRODUCTION
Liver diseases are common worldwide and a major cause of illness and death due to health problems and serious complications, which not only cause hospitalization and death, but also emotional distress, depression, and impaired quality of life.

INCLUSION CRITERIA
This review will consider qualitative and quantitative studies on patients with liver disease of different severity and type. The qualitative component of this review will consider all studies that describe patients' lived experience and perception of having liver disease. The quantitative component will include studies that explore the quality of life in patients with liver disease.

METHODS
CINAHL (EBSCO), Embase (Ovid), MEDLINE (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid), Scopus (Elsevier), and Web of Science (Ovid) will be searched for articles published in Danish and English without any restriction in terms of year of publication. Articles describing both qualitative and quantitative studies will be screened for inclusion, critically appraised for methodological quality, and have data extracted using JBI instruments for mixed methods systematic reviews. A convergent integrated approach to synthesis and integration will be used.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER
PROSPERO with ID number (CRD42020173501).


Abstract Religious anti-discrimination legislation institutionalises non-violent ways of living with radical difference associated with religious diversity. The need to govern the growing number of conflicts generated by increasingly pluralistic societies is a major reason governments have introduced a range of new laws relating to religion. These laws are important not only because they protect human rights, which they do, but also because they shape social processes that generate extreme harms such as mass murder and the sexual abuse of minors. A detailed examination of three case studies of minority religions illustrates this argument. The histories of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints and The Family demonstrate that the socio-cultural processes that result in sexual abuse in minority religions are similar to the processes that result in extreme violence and that litigation plays a key role in preventing the escalation of these processes, although it is of a post hoc nature. The case of the Ordo Templi Orientis demonstrates that religious anti-discrimination legislation proactively disrupts the socio-cultural processes that lead to the escalation of tension that results in serious forms of harm.


The recent development and distribution of interactive pervasive computing systems, especially those incorporating digital public displays, facilitate a variety of new interactive scenarios in shared public spaces where people gather and spend time to enjoy a social experience. Integrating novel interaction mechanisms related to the sharing and listening of music with digital displays is a good example of the potential of using current technologies to enhance physical and social spaces. This paper explores the design and impact of shared situated interactive systems, combining public display installations with a collaborative music player. To explore the design space of these systems, we conducted two studies involving the deployment of a particular system at different venues. The analysis of our results allowed us to identify specific (group) interactions and events, which were fostered by the system under consideration. Based on these outcomes, we propose a set of features that should foster further engagement with such systems and promote new ways of social interaction.


Introduction: Hepatitis B is a highly contagious infection. Basic knowledge about hepatitis B is necessary; with more knowledge people take preventive actions against hepatitis B, such as using stick proof cannulas. In Thailand an expected number of 8-20% of the population are currently carriers of the HBV infection. Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the knowledge about hepatitis B and the attitudes towards the vaccination among Thai university students. Method: A cross-sectional study with a quantitative method was used. 280 students participated in the study, and the response rate was 93.9 %. The data was analysed using SPSS Statistics 20. Result: Both genders had poor knowledge about hepatitis B, however 91.1 % of the students had heard about hepatitis B. About half of the students (55.4 %) knew correctly that hepatitis B is sexually transmitted and 40.0 % of the students knew that hepatitis B could cause liver cancer. There was no significant difference in knowledge between the genders. The attitudes towards the vaccine were satisfactory between both genders, 89.3 % of the students knew that healthy people need the vaccination and 81.1 % believed that they would receive the vaccination. However, only 43.6 % knew that the vaccination could be free or low cost through certain programs. There was a significant difference (p-value = 0.042) between the genders; the male students had a more positive attitude towards the vaccine than the female students. Conclusion: The results from the Thai students showed that more information about the Hepatitis infection is needed to raise awareness among this certain group of people. Information about how it is transmitted is essential to improve the public health. It is also important to improve the individual's self-care, to encourage them to receive the vaccination. From a nursing point of view improving the knowledge about HBV and a positive attitude towards the vaccine in the prolonging contribute to improve the public health by getting a lower rate of cases with HBV.


Damage to the compressor blades of turbojet engines due to ingestion of foreign objects is a growing problem, the solution of which has been made more difficult by the large percentage of damaging materials that have remained unknown. A rapid emission spectroscopic method was devised to identify the chemical composition of these foreign objects. Results on laboratory-prepared specimens and blades from damaged engines show that the method can be utilized to determine the nature of the ingested foreign objects.


Lopes-Maciel-Rodan syndrome (LOMARS) is a rare and serious neurodevelopmental disorder caused by two compound heterozygous missense mutations in the Huntingtin gene (HTT). LOMARS is related to Rett syndrome, which is primarily caused by mutations in X-linked Methyl-CpG-Binding Protein 2 (MECP2), since it results in Rett-like neurological phenotypes and manifestations. While HTT and MECP2 proteins are not known to directly bind to each other, it is plausible that other protein(s) enable and enhance this protein-protein interaction (PPI). This study reports the involvement of pre-mRNA Processing Factor 40 Homolog B (PRPF40B) in mediating the PPI between HTT and MECP2. By using coevolution data, we found that PRPF40B interacts with both HTT and MECP2 through its group II WW domain, a modular protein domain that mediates protein-protein interactions. We also revealed that multiple missense and splice region variants in PRPF40B result in LOMARS and Rett-like phenotypes, suggesting that weakened interactions between mutant PRPF40B and wild-type MECP2 are likely to be associated with the phenotypes. Furthermore, upon docking wild-type and mutant models of HTT with PRPF40B, we observed that the LOMARS-associated mutations significantly weaken HTT-PRPF40B interactions. We also performed similar docking experiments on SIN3A and PRPF40A, which is a protein that is highly related in structure and function to PRPF40B and observed that the mutations also weaken their interactions with HTT. Overall, this study demonstrates the significant role of HTT-PRPF40B-MECP2 interactions in the development and progression of LOMARS and suggests the involvement of similar PPI disruption in Rett syndrome.


We present a set of structural parameters for the central parts of 57 early-type galaxies observed with the Planetary Camera of the Hubble Space Telescope. These parameters are based on a new empirical law that successfully characterizes the centers of early type galaxies. This empirical law assumes that the surface brightness profile is a combination of two power laws with different slopes gamma and beta for the inner and outer regions. Conventional structural parameters such as core radius and central surface brightness are replaced by break radius r_b, where the transition between power-law slopes takes place, and surface brightness mu_b at that radius. An additional parameter alpha describes the sharpness of the break. The structural parameters are derived using a chi-squared minimization process applied to the mean surface brightness profiles. The resulting model profiles generally give very good agreement to the observed profiles out to the radius of 10 arcseconds imaged by the Planetary Camera. Exceptions include galaxies which depart from pure power-laws at large radius, those with strong nuclear components, and galaxies partly obscured by dust. The uncertainties in the derived parameters are estimated using Monte-Carlo simulations which test the stability of solutions in the face of photon noise and the effects of the deconvolution process. The covariance of the structural parameters is examined by computing contours of constant chi squared in multi-dimensional parameter space.


Sometimes physicians need to provide patients with potentially upsetting advice. For example, physicians may recommend hospice for a terminally ill patient because it best meets their needs, but the patient and their family dislike this advised option. We explore whether regulatory non-fit could be used to improve these types of situations. Across five studies in which participants imagined receiving upsetting advice from a physician, we demonstrate that regulatory non-fit between the form of the physician's advice (emphasizing gains vs. avoiding losses) and the participants' motivational orientation (promotion vs. prevention) improves participants' evaluation of an initially disliked option. Regulatory non-fit de-intensifies participants' initial attitudes by making them less confident in their initial judgments and motivating them to think more thoroughly about the arguments presented. Furthermore, consistent with previous research on regulatory fit, we showed that the mechanism of regulatory non-fit differs as a function of participants' cognitive involvement in the evaluation of the option.


We discovered that the hepatitis C virus (HCV) envelope glycoprotein E2 binds to human hepatoma cell lines independently of the previously proposed HCV receptor CD81. Comparative binding studies using recombinant E2 from the most prevalent 1a and 1b genotypes revealed that E2 recognition by hepatoma cells is independent from the viral isolate, while E2–CD81 interaction is isolate specific. Binding of soluble E2 to human hepatoma cells was impaired by deletion of the hypervariable region 1 (HVR1), but the wild-type phenotype was recovered by introducing a compensatory mutation reported previously to rescue infectivity of an HVR1-deleted HCV infectious clone. We have identified the receptor responsible for E2 binding to human hepatic cells as the human scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI). E2–SR-BI interaction is very selective since neither mouse SR-BI nor the closely related human scavenger receptor CD36, were able to bind E2. Finally, E2 recognition by SR-BI was competed out in an isolatespecific manner both on the hepatoma cell line and on the human SR-BI-transfected cell line by an anti-HVR1 monoclonal antibody.


Focusing on the visual arts and written texts, this book explores the nature of femininity and masculinity in 18th-century Britain and France. The activities and collective conditions of women as producers of art and culture are investigated, together with analysis of representation and the ways in which it might be gendered. This illustrated book should make an important contribution to debates on representation, constructions of sexuality and women as producers. Topics covered include: the artist Angelica Kauffman; constructions of femininity and masculinity in contemporary travel-writing; feminine portraiture in the work of Joshua Reynolds; the writer and poet Lady Mary Wortley Montagu; women artists and the French Revolution; the writer Mary Wollstonecraft; the female role in the architecture of Robert Adam; and the cult of male beauty in the studio of David.


An investigation into the effect of meso-structure variation on the dynamic properties of a plate made from unidirectional pre-impregnated discontinuous carbon fiber platelets was performed. A platelet generation code was implemented to make finite element models of flat plates comprised of platelets with random in-plane orientations. While the mode shapes were not particularly sensitive to orientation changes of the platelets, natural frequency was shown to have a frequency variance similar to a normal distribution for specific modes. Using the orientation tensor developed by Advani and Tucker [1], the local effective elastic properties were calculated and shown to have a correlation with natural frequency shifts. This method could be used in the future to inform modal tap testing results to determine local material properties of discontinuous fiber parts.


The aim of this article is to examine the interdependence relationship among the volatilities of crude oil price, U.S. dollar exchange rate, and a set of agricultural commodities prices. An autoregressive (AR) with an exponential generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (EGARCH) model or AR-EGARCH process and vector error correction model (VECM) approach was used on monthly data spanning from Jan 1986 to Dec 2005 as the pre-crisis period and from Jan 2006 to Nov 2015 as the post-crisis period. The results show that volatility in the agricultural commodity returns for most cases are affected by the volatility of the crude oil returns in the post-crisis period. Also, the volatility of the U.S. dollar exchange rate highly affects the agricultural commodities returns in the pre-crisis than the post-crisis periods. Furthermore, crude oil returns volatility does affect the U.S. dollar exchange rate volatility in the post-crisis period, which in turn affects the volatility of the agricultural commodities returns through changes in prices. The results of impulse response function (IRFs) are significant for most agricultural commodities volatility in the post-crisis period than the pre-crisis period.


ABSTRACT Detection of six species of lactic acid bacteria and six species of gram-positive catalase-positive cocci from low-acid fermented sausages (fuets and chorizos) was assessed by species-specific PCR. Without enrichment, Lactobacillus sakei and Lactobacillus curvatus were detected in 11.8% of the samples, and Lactobacillus plantarum and Staphylococcus xylosus were detected in 17.6%. Enriched samples allowed the detection of L. sakei and S. xylosus in all of the samples (100%) and of Enterococcus faecium in 11.8% of the sausages. The percentages of L. curvatus, L. plantarum, Staphylococcus carnosus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis varied depending on the sausage type. L. curvatus was detected in 80% of fuets and in 57% of chorizos. L. plantarum was found in 50% of fuets and 100% of chorizos. S. epidermidis was detected in only 11.8% of fuets, and S. carnosus was detected in only 5.9% of chorizos. Lactococcus lactis, Staphylococcus warneri, and Staphylococcus simulans were not detected in any sausage type. From a microbiological point of view, 70.6% of the samples could be considered of high quality, as they had low counts of Enterobacteriaceae and did not contain any of the food-borne pathogens assayed.


This article analyzes early actions in 50 calls reporting cases of abuse to a national child protection helpline in the UK (the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Helpline, NSPCC). It focuses on the early turns in the caller's reason for call, in particular, a class of constructions in which the caller describes himself or herself as "concerned about x" (or similar). Analysis of the corpus of calls suggests concern constructions are canonical early elements of the reason-for-call sequence. Concern constructions (a) are oriented to a pre-move in the caller's reason for call, (b) project the unpacking of concerns in a way oriented to the NSPCC's institutional role, (c) attend to epistemological asymmetries between caller and call taker and remove the requirement for disaffiliative next actions such as asking for the basis of claims, (d) provide a way for the Child Protection Officer to take abuse claims seriously while not presupposing their truth, and (e) display an appropriate caller stance. These observations are supported by an analysis of deviant cases. The broader implications of this study for the relation between psychology, interaction, and institutions are discussed.


Rice field rats are important pests of paddy crop in Indonesia, because many unsuccessful paddy crop attacked by rats. Many rodenticide types are produced, especially chemical rodenticide type the actually effect of unfavourable to environment. Biological rodenticide types (bio rodenticide) are still developed slimmest even still very rare, though bio rodenticide types are environmental friendliness. Bio rodenticide type that developed by PPPG Pertanian is using Sarcocystis singaporensis, that is a specific parasite microorganism type lives in rats body. S. singaporensis reproduces sexually in the intestine of reticulated python (Pyhton reticulatus) and transmitted via faeces (in form of sporocyst) to various rats species (Jaekel, 2001). In rats body, the parasite multiplies inside the cell of blood vessel until it forms cyst in muscle, causing rats become death. This parasite not endanger both for human being and also snake. Dosage of S. singaporensis in killing male and also female rice field rats do not related by the age class of rats. The effect on giving Sarcocystis singaporensis on day of death to female rice field rats do not related by the age class of rats, however day of death of the young male rats has quicker than adult rats. Key words : Sarcocystis singaporensis, rodenticide, biological rodenticide, Rattus argentiventer.


This thesis presents numerical and analytical investigation of the geomechanics underlying longwall mining. It was tried out to study the disturbances induced by longwall mining in nearby rocks and their influence on the stability of the gates, pillars and main tunnels of longwall mines. The thesis consists of two major parts: numerical and analytical investigations. The study site is the Svea Nord coalmine, Svalbard, Norway.A novel algorithm was proposed for numerical simulation of the longwall mining process. In the proposed algorithm progressive cave-in and fracturing of the roof strata, consolidation of the cave-in materials and stress changes are simulated in detail. In order to outline the caved-in roof rocks a criterion based on maximum principal strain (in tension) was used. The critical tensile strain of roof cave-in was determined through back-calculation of the surface subsidence above a longwall panel at the mine. The results of the simulations were then used to analyse stress changes induced by longwall mining and the stability of gates. The simulations revealed that the stability of the gates and the loading to the rock bolts are closely related to the width of the chain pillars. With slender pillars, shear displacements along weak interlayers and bedding planes result in heavy loading to the rock bolts. Therefore, the locations of weakness zones should be taken into account in rock bolt design.The developed algorithm was implemented to study the loading and stability of the barrier pillar of the mine. The barrier pillars protect the main tunnels and border area of the mine from disturbances induced by longwall mining in the panels. The simulations show that the stresses in the barrier pillars fluctuate up and down during mining because of periodic cave-in events behind the longwall face. A failure zone of about 12 m exists in the wall of the barrier pillars. A large portion of the barrier pillar is still intact and is, thus, capable of protecting the border area.The results of the detailed simulations of longwall mining via the developed algorithm were, also, implemented in a large-scale numerical model. The model consists of all of the longwall panels and the border area of the mine. It is intended that the coal in the border area on the other side of the longwall panels will be mined after completion of the longwall mining. There is concern about how the longwall mining affects the stress state in the border area and how stress changes would affect future mining in the border area. A failure zone of about 20 m developed in the wall of the main tunnels on the side of the border area after all the longwall panels were mined out. The stress state in the remaining portion of the border area remains unchanged. Therefore, it will be possible to mine the border area in the future.In order to investigate the roof strata cave-in mechanism in detail a discontinuous numerical simulation of roof cave-in process was conducted by UDEC code. The block size in the roof strata and the mechanical parameters of the discontinuities were obtained through back-calculations. The back-calculations were conducted with a statistical method, Design of Experiment (DOE). Numerical simulations revealed that jointed voussoir beams formed in the roof strata before the first cave-in. Beam bending results in stress fluctuations in the roof strata. The maximum deflection of a roof stratum at the study site before the first cave-in is about 70% of the stratum thickness. The simulations and field measurements show no periodic weighting on the longwall shields in this mine. Numerical sensitivity analyses show, however, that periodic weighting may occur in strong roof strata. Roof strata with a high Young's modulus and large joint spacing are not suitable for longwall mining. The maximum sustainable deflection of the roof strata before cave-in depends upon the horizontal in-situ stress state. It slightly increases with the in-situ horizontal stress in the stratum beams, but the horizontal stress would increase the possibility of rock-crushing in deflected roof beams. The implemented numerical method would be useful in assessment of the cavability of the roof strata and in selection of longwall shields with adequate load capacity.As shown through discontinuous numerical simulations, the roof strata above the underground opening constructed in the stratified rocks form voussoir beams. The stability of those beams is the major concern in the study of the gate stability and roof cave-in assessment in the longwall panels. Two different analytical methods were developed for cases with and without the in-situ horizontal stress acting along the beams. In the analytical model for the beams without horizontal stress a bilinear shape was assumed for the compression arch generated within the voussoir beams. The stability of the compression arch is governed by the energy method. The model requires an iterative procedure for convergence, and an algorithm was proposed for it. The analytical method was verified with numerical simulations by means of a discrete element code, UDEC. For the beams subjected to in-situ horizontal stress, the classic beam theory was employed to drive the analytical solution for it. The superposition method was used to obtain bending/deflection equations of the beam. The validity of both the assumptions and the developed method were, also, investigated by numerical simulations. The developed analytical method revealed that high Young's modulus of a beam rock increases the stability of the beams against buckling but it causes higher stress within the compression arch which increases the probability of crushing failures in the beam abutments and midspan. In-situ horizontal stress along beams increases their stability against buckling and abutment sliding failure, but it raises the possibility of crushing failure at the abutments and the midspan.


Network Function Virtualization (NFV) on Software-Defined Networks (SDN) can effectively optimize the allocation of Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) and the routing of network flows simultaneously. Nevertheless, most previous studies on NFV focus on unicast service chains and thereby are not scalable to support a large number of destinations in multicast. On the other hand, the allocation of VNFs has not been supported in the current SDN multicast routing algorithms. In this paper, therefore, we make the first attempt to tackle a new challenging problem for finding a service forest with multiple service trees, where each tree contains multiple VNFs required by each destination. Specifically, we formulate a new optimization, named Service Overlay Forest (SOF), to minimize the total cost of all allocated VNFs and all multicast trees in the forest. We design a new 3ρST-approximation algorithm to solve the problem, where ρST denotes the best approximation ratio of the Steiner Tree problem, and the distributed implementation of the algorithm is also presented. Simulation results on real networks for data centers manifest that the proposed algorithm outperforms the existing ones by over 25%. Moreover, the implementation of an experimental SDN with HP OpenFlow switches indicates that SOF can significantly improve the QoE of the Youtube service.


OBJECTIVES
We evaluated the factors that have considerable significance on the outcome of open cavity procedures in the treatment of cholesteatoma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
The study included 66 patients (43 males, 23 females; mean age 47 years; range 21 to 69 years) who underwent surgery for cholesteatoma. Of these, 56 patients completed at least a five-year follow-up.

RESULTS
Mucosal infections and granulation tissue formation occurred in seven patients (10%) in the early postoperative period. Retraction pockets developed in three patients (4%); of these, only one patient required excision because of deep localization. Drum perforations that occurred in two patients (3%) were repaired by myringoplasty. Revision surgery was performed in four patients (7.1%) due to residual cholesteatoma within a five-year follow-up.

CONCLUSION
The height of the facial ridge was found as the most important factor related to a successful outcome of open-technique procedures. Other factors included the creation of a smooth mastoid cavity with round edges, removal of all diseased mastoid cells, and an extensive conchameatoplasty.


The primary potential benefit of the response-to-intervention model is its utility for serving students with unmet instructional or behavioral needs. Although discussion and debates have often focused on the potential "promise and pitfalls" of using response to intervention to make eligibility decisions, less attention has been devoted to key aspects of service delivery necessary for response-to-intervention implementation. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the state of the science relevant to the actual application of response-to-intervention service delivery within schools. The article outlines five core service delivery components, provides a summary of evidence corresponding to each component, and identifies necessary directions for future research with implications for practice.


In a previous study we showed that β-casomorphin-7 (β-CM7) is taken up by brain regions relevant to schizophrenia and autism. The present experiment was designed to find whether β-CM7 has any behavioral or analgesic effects in rats. About 65 seconds after treatment with different doses of β-CM7, rats became restless and ran violently, with teeth chattering and with rapid respiration. Seven minutes later, the rats became inactive with less walking, distancing themselves from the other rat in the same cage, and sitting in, or putting their head against, the corner of the cage. The sound response was reduced and social interaction was absent. One hour later, the rats showed hyperdefensiveness. The above behavioral effects of β-CM7 did not occur when rats were pretreated with naloxone (2 mg/kg, IP). The rats receiving saline did not show any behavioral changes throughout the 2 hour period of observation. β-CM7 also demonstrated analgesic effects, which could be blocked by naloxone. The results suggest that β-CM7 may play a role in behavioral disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.


Purpose: XNAT is an informatics software platform to support imaging research, particularly in the context of large, multicentre studies of the type that are essential to validate quantitative imaging biomarkers. XNAT provides import, archiving, processing and secure distribution facilities for image and related study data. Until recently, however, modern data visualisation and annotation tools were lacking on the XNAT platform. We describe the background to, and implementation of, an integration of the Open Health Imaging Foundation (OHIF) Viewer into the XNAT environment. We explain the challenges overcome and discuss future prospects for quantitative imaging studies. Materials and methods: The OHIF Viewer adopts an approach based on the DICOM web protocol. To allow operation in an XNAT environment, a data-routing methodology was developed to overcome the mismatch between the DICOM and XNAT information models and a custom viewer panel created to allow navigation within the viewer between different XNAT projects, subjects and imaging sessions. Modifications to the development environment were made to allow developers to test new code more easily against a live XNAT instance. Major new developments focused on the creation and storage of regions-of-interest (ROIs) and included: ROI creation and editing tools for both contour- and mask-based regions; a "smart CT" paintbrush tool; the integration of NVIDIA's Artificial Intelligence Assisted Annotation (AIAA); the ability to view surface meshes, fractional segmentation maps and image overlays; and a rapid image reader tool aimed at radiologists. We have incorporated the OHIF microscopy extension and, in parallel, introduced support for microscopy session types within XNAT for the first time. Results: Integration of the OHIF Viewer within XNAT has been highly successful and numerous additional and enhanced tools have been created in a programme started in 2017 that is still ongoing. The software has been downloaded more than 3700 times during the course of the development work reported here, demonstrating the impact of the work. Conclusions: The OHIF open-source, zero-footprint web viewer has been incorporated into the XNAT platform and is now used at many institutions worldwide. Further innovations are envisaged in the near future.


Background: Administration of home parenteral support (HPS) has proven to be cost-effective over hospital care. Avoiding hospital readmissions became more of a focus for healthcare institutions in 2012 with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. In 2010, our service developed a protocol to treat dehydration at home for HPS patients by ordering additional intravenous fluids to be kept on hand and to focus patient education on the symptoms of dehydration. Methods: A retrospective analysis was completed through a clinical management database to identify HPS patients with dehydration. The hospital finance department and homecare pharmacy were utilized to determine potential cost avoidance. Results: In 2009, 64 episodes (77%) of dehydration were successfully treated at home versus 6 emergency department (ED) visits (7.5%) and 13 readmissions (15.5%). In 2010, we successfully treated 170 episodes (84.5%) at home, with 9 episodes (4.5%) requiring ED visits and 22 hospital readmissions (11%). The number of dehydration episodes per patient was significantly higher in 2010 (P < .001) and may be attributed to a shift in the patient population, with more patients having malabsorption as the indication for therapy in 2010 (P = .003). Conclusion: There were more than twice as many episodes of dehydration identified and treated at home in 2010 versus 2009. Our protocol helped educate and provide the resources required to resolve dehydration at home when early signs were recognized. By reducing ED visits and hospital readmissions, healthcare costs were avoided by a factor of 29 when home treatment was successful.


The formation of a vascular network requires the connection and formation of a lumen between individual endothelial sprouts, a process called vessel fusion or anastomosis. In the vertebrate trunk of the zebrafish (Danio rerio), the intersegmental vessels (ISVs) develop by angiogenesis, i.e. the formation of new vessels by pre-existing vessels, in a conserved metameric manner, which allows the analysis of morphogenetic mechanisms of blood vessel development. From the dorsal aorta (DA) individual endothelial sprouts, led by tip cells and trailing stalk cells, grow between the somite boundaries dorsally towards the roof of the neural tube where they extend anterior and posterior. Neighboring extensions of sprouts fuse to each other and eventually form a continuous lumen, which results in the formation of a new vessel, the dorsal longitudinal anastomotic vessel (DLAV). In the past, many molecular key players of blood vessel formation have been identified and a number of studies described endothelial lumen formation in vivo. However, how individual cellular behaviors contribute to the process of vessel fusion have not yet been described. Thus, I engineered a transgenic zebrafish reporter system labeling endothelial cell-cell junctions by an EGFP-hZO1 (human Zonula Occludens-1 protein fused to enhanced green fluorescent protein) fusion protein. This reporter system allowed analysis of the dynamics of endothelial tight junctions during intersegmental vessel fusion in vivo and thus, the relative behavior of individual endothelial cells (ECs). We previously proposed that neighboring ISVs make contact to each other by filopodial extensions. This behavior is reflected by the de novo formation of point-like junctional complexes (i.e. Vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin) and ZO1) which elaborate into ring-like structures as the contacting sprout extensions enlarge their mutual surface, suggesting the formation of new apical membrane compartments. Following individual cell-cell junctions in the fusing ISVs and analyzing a novel apical marker, podocalyxin2 (Pdxl2), we confirmed the formation of apical membrane compartments during the initial phase of vessel fusion and deciphered two distinct cellular mechanisms of blood vessel fusion, a cord hollowing and membrane invagination mechanism, that result in the formation of different types of biological tubes. In cord hollowing, cell rearrangements of ECs in fusing neighboring sprouts result in the formation of a multicellular tube. Here, a tip cell forms two apical membrane compartments, one with a stalk cell and another one with a neighboring tip cell. These are then brought together by cell rearrangements and coalesce into one larger membrane compartment that eventually integrates into a continuous lumen within the ISV/DLAV. During membrane invagination, the membrane of a tip cell, adjacent to a preexisting lumen, undergoes apicobasal polarization and invaginates through its own cell body and coalesces with one of the previously formed apical membrane compartments at the sites of contact between neighboring tip cells, which results in the formation of a seamless tube.


Myocardial Bridge (MB) on the coronary artery and myocardial coat (MC) on the cardiac veins are usually detected in angiography and cadaveric dissection. Left anterior descending branch (LAD) of the left coronary artery is the most frequent site of MB. Rarely MB is also seen over the right coronary arterial branches. MB has proven association with ischemic heart disease and other critical cardiac consequences like myocardial infarction (MI) (Alegria et al., 2000; Soran et al., 2000). MC, on the other hand has not gained enough attention in previous studies. Large MB can be readily identified in angiograms, but minutes MB can be picked up by newer imaging studies like multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan (Tiryakioglu and Aliyu, 2020). Cadaveric dissection, however, holds its unique place in direct visualization and studying the macro and micro-anatomical characteristics. To study the prevalence and anatomical attributes of MB and MC in Indian population, ten adult cadaveric hearts (6 male and 4 female) were dissected as part of a routine undergraduate teaching at the Anatomy Department, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. MB over the coronary artery and MC over the cardiac vein were identified. Data pertaining to the MB and MC dimensions were measured with a digital vernier calliper. Histology of the MC was carried out to confirm its presence and observe the cytoarchitecture pattern. Relevant gross macroscopic and microscopic images were photographed and photomicrographed. 20% of the dissected cadavers revealed MB involving LAD in first heart while LAD and RCA both in second heart with lengths 5 mm, 18 mm and 2 mm respectively. MC was noted over coronary sinus and proximal few millimeters of great and middle cardiac veins. Histological examination revealed cardiac striated muscle in MC with typical cyto- architecture. The mean myocardial muscle index (MMI) of MBs ranged from 1.6 to 21.6. The present study highlights 20% prevalence of MBs in Indian population involving both right and left coronary artery. 10% of the subjects had histologically confirmed MC over cardiac veins. MC over the coronary sinus and other cardiac veins need more elaborate explorative studies to quantify the anatomic properties and to examine the possible association with cardiovascular disease. Nevertheless, anatomic attributes should be kept in mind to better appreciate MI in evolution and MI at evaluation in a case with MB.


Polyamide-6-based composites with pristine or functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes were produced using melt extrusion technique. After chemical functionalization, defect formation and attachment of carboxylic (−COOH) or amine (−NH2) groups on carbon nanotubes was confirmed from high-resolution transmission electron microscope and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscope studies. Carbon nanotubes incorporation promoted growth of α-form crystals with enhanced thermal stability through increase in crystallization temperature from 162 to 192℃. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) indirectly pointed out to a homogeneous, uniform dispersion of nanotubes with reduction in free volume of the polymer, exhibiting a slight increase in glass transition temperature and a significant drop in coefficient of thermal expansion value. Composites containing 0.5 wt% NH2-carbon nanotubes show increases in elastic modulus and tensile strength by ∼60 and 76%, respectively. Uniform dispersion and high interfacial strength was manifested by drop in strain to failure and lack of evidence of carbon nanotubes debonding from the matrix.


Objective: To investigate the association between personality disorders and nonfatal unintentional injuries in a representative sample of US adults. Methods: Data on self-reported nonfatal unintentional injuries during the 12 months before the interview were obtained from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) were analyzed; 43 093 adults ⩾18 years participated in the NESARC wave I survey in 2001–02. Personality disorders were determined using the NIAAA Alcohol Use Disorders and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule-DSM-IV. Results: Individuals with at least one personality disorder had a significantly higher 12-month incidence of injuries than people without any personality disorder (p<0.001). After accounting for sociodemographic characteristics or other mental disorders, OR was 1.54 (95% CI 1.39 to 1.71) for individuals with one personality disorder and 1.80 (95% CI 1.58 to 2.05) for individuals with two or more personality disorders compared with people with no personality disorder. Conclusion: Personality disorders were associated with a significantly increased risk of unintentional injuries. This information has important implications for the treatment of patients with these disorders.


This research addressed the issue of influence of ICT integration as a pedagogical tool on performance in mathematics in public secondary schools particularly in West Pokot County. Mathematics performance in Kenya has generally been poor and the reason attributed to this scenario is mainly the teaching methods employed by tutors and/ or the learners' attitude towards the subject. ICT integration and the factors hindering its integration has been investigated by researchers elsewhere but not in west pokot. This study sought to investigate whether ICT integration has an influence on performance in mathematics by looking at the use of computers as a means of instruction (CAI), a means of learning (CAL) and as a learning support resource (CLSR). The study objective was to determine the impact of ICT integration in teaching and learning on mathematics performance in public secondary schools in Kenya. The hypothesis tested in the study was that there is no difference in mathematics performance between students in classes taught by traditional methods and the ICT integrated in public secondary schools in west Pokot County.
This research used purposive experimental research design to investigate the extent to which ICT integration would influence mathematics performance. Five public secondary schools were identified on the basis of availability of computer laboratory, one mixed day school, two girls' and two boys' schools therefore participated. Apart from the mixed day school, the other four were large schools comprising of 5 streams per class with population of over 1000 students. A total of 435 form three students from the 5 schools participated in this study. Two streams were selected randomly out of the 5 in each of the 4 large schools whereas for the single stream, the class was divided in two groups, so that one is taught the mathematical concept with the aid of computers (experimental) and the other is taught the same concept using traditional methods. At the end of the sub-topic which took one double lesson of 80 minutes, the two groups were subjected to a standardized assessment test whose pass mark was 47.5%, that is, 19 out of 40. All scripts were marked by the researcher using the same marking scheme. Results were analyzed, a two sample paired t-test was used to measure differences in performance at a significance tests difference of α=0.05.
The key findings were that the experimental group performed better than the control group in all the 5 schools. These results indicated significance differences due to flexibility and focused interest in classes where ICT was integrated. From the research, it was concluded that ICT integration in mathematics teaching brings about better understanding of concepts and skill transfer from abstract to concrete. Integration of ICT in teaching and learning mathematics especially so for abstract concepts such as waves, helped to overcome such limitations, hence impacted positively on the performance in the test scores. The study recommended technology skills to be integrated into the total curriculum during the entire education processes through holistic approach and that ICT should be exploited to support the complete mathematics content and learning experience. Teachers of mathematics need frequent in-service courses on the new innovations in-terms of instructional skills and approaches. It was recommended that MOEST to fast track their strategies in-terms of mobilizing of resources and digitalization of curriculum and content.


A visible-light-active nitrogen and gadolinium codoped TiO2 catalyst was synthesized by the sol-gel route. For comparison, Gd-doped sample, N-doped sample, and pure titania were prepared through the same method, without adding the corresponding dopants. The as-prepared photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Uv-vis spectra. The results showed that the codoped photocatalyst exhibited a smaller size than the undoped titania. The transformation from anatase to rutile was suppressed by doping with N and Gd atoms. Furthermore, the absorbance spectra of N, Gd-codoped TiO2 exhibited a significant red shift to the visible region. The photocatalytic activity of N, Gd-codoped TiO2 was evaluated by photodegradation of methyl orange under visible light irradiation. This codoped sample exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to N-doped TiO2, Gd-doped TiO2, and pure TiO2. The improvement of the photocatalytic activity was ascribed to the synergistic effects of the N and Gd co-doping.


One of the significant reasons for the success of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is its harmonization with business process management (BPM). Architecture of Integrated Information System (ARIS) correlates SOA with BPM by its proposed work flow. Modeling process is one of the fundamental parts in SOA architecture. Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) is a graphical language which is known as one of the most efficient languages for modeling in ARIS. This language is transformable to Business Process Execution Language and causes the act of modeling to be performed on the basis of a comprehensive and integrated plan with its provided tools. Despite of all the advantages, the companies should apply necessary speed and precision in the cycle of transforming the models to executable processes to be competitive in the nowadays world; and due to the fact that the first step in generating an executive process in SOA is design and modeling, therefore it is so critical to assure of the correct functionality of models before implementation and test. ARIS provides the users with the facility to be certain about correct functionality of BPMN model by supporting ARIS simulator. However simulation is time-consuming while being used in change of business and process updating and it is not optimal. We presented a solution by introduce semantic checking in ARIS and showing how could upgrading the support of BPMN in ARIS to reduce the consumed time for test and simulation.


The traditional approach to teaching science problem solving is having the students work individually on a large number of problems. This approach has long been overtaken by research suggesting and testing other methods, which are expected to be more effective. To get an overview of the characteristics of good and innovative problem-solving teaching strategies, we performed an analysis of a number of articles published between 1985 and 1995 in high-standard international journals, describing experimental research into the effectiveness of a wide variety of teaching strategies for science problem solving. To characterize the teaching strategies found, we used a model of the capacities needed for effective science problem solving, composed of a knowledge base and a skills base. The relations between the cognitive capacities required by the experimental or control treatments and those of the model were specified and used as independent variables. Other independent variables were learning conditions such as feedback and group work. As a dependent variable we used standardized learning effects. We identified 22 articles describing 40 experiments that met the standards we deemed necessary for a meta-analysis. These experiments were analyzed both with quantitative (correlational) methods and with a systematic qualitative method. A few of the independent variables were found to characterize effective strategies for teaching science problem solving. Effective treatments all gave attention to the structure and function (the schemata) of the knowledge base, whereas attention to knowledge of strategy and the practice of problem solving turned out to have little effect. As for learning conditions, both providing the learners with guidelines and criteria they can use in judging their own problem-solving process and products, and providing immediate feedback to them were found to be important prerequisites for the acquisition of problem-solving skills. Group work did not lead to positive effects unless combined with other variables, such as guidelines and feedback. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 38: 442–468, 2001


We studied the effects of sustained changes in resting mean arterial pressures (MAP) on arterial baroreceptor properties in anesthetized rabbits and on the baroreceptor-heart rate reflex in conscious animals. The rabbits had balloons implanted round their aorta and vena cava, for producing transient changes in MAP about the resting MAP. Aortic baroreceptor function curves were obtained at different resting MAP by relating balloon-induced changes in MAP to either (1) integrated aortic nerve activity or (2) unit baroreceptor activity. Any sustained change in resting MAP reset the unit function curves in the same direction within 15 minutes by altering their threshold without affecting gain. The effect was reversible and independent of starting pressure. It was the same whether resting MAP was altered by vasoactive drugs (nitroprusside, phenylephrine) or was changed by withdrawing or infusing blood in sympathetically blocked rabbits. We studied baroreflex function in conscious rabbits by deriving MAP-heart period (HP) curves at different resting MAP. Nitroprusside lowered baroreflex threshold for evoking bradycardia, whereas phenylephrine increased threshold. From our analysis, the resting MAP-mediated changes in receptor threshold accounted for the reflex threshold changes. Altered baroreceptor properties did not account for changes in baroreflex HP range produced by both drugs, and in reflex gain; these were probably due to afferent interactions in the CNS. Because of rapid arterial baroreceptor resetting, transient changes (of about 30 seconds or less) in MAP of moderate magnitude evoked normal reflex heart rate responses at each resting MAP. After changes in resting MAP sustained for 15 minutes or longer, reflex changes in resting heart rate were considerably smaller than in the absence of resetting. Therefore the arterial baroreceptors provide the baroreflex with a "floating" rather than a fixed set point, determined by the prevailing MAP.


The competences expected from early childhood education and care professionals have evolved significantly in our Western countries following the transformation of services and the affirmation of their educational function. This article is based on action research projects carried out in the Wallonia Brussels Federation (FWB) which integrate an analysis of other education and training systems (France, Flanders, England, Sweden and Quebec). It presents a reflection on the development of professional competencies and their acquisition from the initial training in a holistic approach to education. It notes that a diversity of formations coexists, leading to an absence of clear view on professional skills and profiles. In response to this observation, it proposes a modeling that articulates organizational, relational and reflexive competencies that are needed for the development of a professional posture. That modeling is presented as a grid of analysis that can enable better understanding of the complexity of early education and care in its many dimensions (working with children, families, professionals and the local community). It can be considered as a tool to globally rethink initial and continuing education and training in a systemic perspective.


The population density of the pearly razorfish, Xyrichtys novacula , was estimated in eastern Mediterranean areas and was related to specific environmental variables, laying emphasis on the sediment granulometry. The density of X. novacula ranged from 0 to 20.0 individuals per 1000 m2. No correlation between X. novacula density and season, depth or the presence of common prey species was found. The X. novacula density was significantly correlated to the granulometry of the sediment, specifically to the median grain diameter Md ? and the quartile deviation QD ? , according to the model Density 1/4 = 1.626 – 0.354Md ? – 0.491QD ? . The highest X. novacula densities occur in moderately or well sorted, coarse or very coarse sand. The density and distribution of X. novacula seem to largely depend on the sediment characteristics, due to the sand-diving behaviour of the species that necessitates the existence of appropriate substrate. Evidence is presented against the reported theory that during the cold season the species spends most of the time buried in the sand.


Abstract. PLEIADES is the highest resolution civilian earth observing system ever developed in Europe. This imagery program is conducted by the French National Space Agency, CNES. It operates since 2012 a first satellite PLEIADES-HR launched on 2011 December 17th, a second one should be launched by the end of the year. Each satellite is designed to provide optical 70 cm resolution coloured images to civilian and defence users. The Image Quality requirements were defined from users studies from the different spatial imaging applications, taking into account the trade-off between on-board technological complexity and ground processing capacity. The assessment of the image quality and the calibration operation have been performed by CNES Image Quality team during the 6 month commissioning phase that followed the satellite launch. These activities cover many topics gathered in two families : radiometric and geometric image quality. The new capabilities offered by PLEIADES-HR agility allowed to imagine new methods of image calibration and performance assessment. Starting from an overview of the satellite characteristics, this paper presents all the calibration operations that were conducted during the commissioning phase and also gives the main results for every image quality performance.


Prior research provides ambiguous results regarding the performance of international acquisitions. Drawing on a survey of 248 acquisitions, we find that acquirers enhance their capabilities when they buy a target with a multinational geographic scope. A financial event study uses a subsample of the acquisitions to show that the financial markets also value targets' multinational scope. Both surveys and stock market-based studies suggest that targets with access to heterogeneous resource environments provide the acquirer with greater potential for capability enhancement and financial performance. In contrast, simply acquiring firms across borders has less influence on post-acquisition outcomes. The study demonstrates greater value of the attributes of the target rather than of international expansion alone. Thus, the multinational scope of the target is more likely to account for the resource diversity provided by the target than the country of origin of the target per se. The study changes the emphasis on multinational acquisitions, by shifting the focus from foreign market expansion (country-level emphasis) to accessing geographically distributed resources that are embedded in target firms (firm-level emphasis). Copyright 2005, Oxford University Press.


The measurement of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine is an increasingly popular marker of in vivo oxidative damage to DNA. A random-sequence 21-mer oligonucleotide 5'-TCA GXC GTA CGT GAT CTC AGT-3' in which X was 8-oxo-guanine (8-oxo-G) was purified and accurate determination of the oxidised base was confirmed by a 32P-end labelling strategy. The lyophilised material was analysed for its absolute content of 8-oxo-dG by several major laboratories in Europe and one in Japan. Most laboratories using HPLC-ECD underestimated, while GC-MS-SIM overestimated the level of the lesion. HPLC-ECD measured the target value with greatest accuracy. The results also suggest that none of the procedures can accurately quantitate levels of 1 in 10(6) 8-oxo-(d)G in DNA.


BACKGROUND We wanted to investigate the somatotropic reorganization occurring in the motor and somatosensory cortex by using 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT analyses, after the extremity revascularization, replantation or amputation. METHODS Twelve patients (11 men, 1 female; mean age 38.9+/-14.7 years) and controls (5 men, mean age 32.2+/-7.9 years) were enrolled in this study. After reconstruction, lower, middle and upper orbitomeatal slices with precentral and postcentral slices were obtained. All images were visually and semi-quantitatively evaluated. Mann-Whitney U-test was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS In the revascularization and replantation patients, postcentral and precentral hypoperfusions were seen at dominant hemisphere. In the amputated patients, postcentral (in 3 of 4 cases) and precentral hypoperfusions were seen at non-dominant hemisphere and postcentral hypoperfusion (in 1 of 4 cases) was seen at dominant hemisphere. In our patients, most significant difference in regional cerebral blood flow was found in posterior parietal cortex (somatic associated area). CONCLUSION Changes that take place in precentral and postcentral cortical areas subsequent to the extremity replantation-revascularization of the organ is a good indicator of somatotrophic reorganization.


The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of teachers' communication strategies on students' discipline in public secondary schools in Mukurweini district. Four objectives were formulated that sought to; establish the use of teachers' oral communication on student discipline in public secondary secondary schools in Mukurweini district; to establish the use of written communication by teachers on students' discipline in Mukurweini district; establish the use of non verbal communication by teachers on student discipline in the same discipline, to determine the prevailing conditions that hinder effective communication towards student discipline.The study employed descriptive research design which is suitable in collecting both qualitative and quantative data. The sample included 45 teachers and 360 students. Data were collected by the use of questionnaires administered personally through hand delivery. A pilot study was conducted in five schools which were not included in the final study. Reliability of the instruments was also done through the most common internal consistency measure known as Cronbach's alpha (α), which indicates the extent to which a set of test items can be treated as measuring a single latent variable. The recommended value of 0.7 was used as a cutoff of reliabilities in the study. Findings indicated that holding of classroom meetings, use of school prefects, communication during assembly, use of guidance and couselling , use of rewards and incentives, encouraging members to pass information among themselves, holding of open fourms, encouraging members to pass information among themselves are some of the communication strategies commonly used by teachers' in Mukurweini District on student's discipline. Majority of the teachers also indicated that they often used notice boards on student discipline. However, facial expression was rarely used on student discipline. Majority of the teachers 89% indicated that school category affects the way they communicate on the student discipline. The study results revealed that the category of the school, boys only, girls only and mixed for both boys and girls affect the way teachers' communicates on student discipline. The study also found that communication strategies with the least preferences for teachers on student discipline included the use of reward system,the use of eye contact and facial expression. According to the study, conditions which reduce effective communication ranged from distortion of information, language barrier to lack of proper mechanisms that ensures conducive environment for students to express themselves to their teachers.From the findings, it was concluded that requisite communication strategies are usually used by teachers in public secondary schools in Mukurweini district on student discipline and are able to influence the discipline of the students positively.Finally the study has suggested a similar study to be carried out in other districts in Kenya with other stakeholders like parents and B.O.G members being centre of focus as they also play an important role towards student discipline.


There is a consensus among clinicians treating patients who have experienced a trauma that a number of common themes emerge. Using a manual that codified ten of these themes, their frequency was measured in the case material of 30 psychotherapy patients treated for posttraumatic stress disorders after bereavement or personal injury. The themes found to be most prominent in bereavement cases included sadness over loss and discomfort over discovered personal vulnerability. In the personal-injury cases, fear of a repetition of the event and feelings of responsibility emerged most frequently. Rage at the source of the trauma figured prominently in both bereavement and personal-injury cases.


Background: Weight gain is a result of changes in the regulation of short-term meal-to-meal intake. An investigation of the short-term intake and activity levels of weight-gaining persons may provide insight into the nature of the cues signaling weight gain. Objective: The basic hypothesis was that the investigation of energy balance during periods of dynamic weight gain should provide clues to the regulatory differences that result in obesity. Design: The eating behavior and activity levels of 19 weight-gaining men and women and of weight-stable, matched control subjects were compared with the use of 7-d diet diaries. Participants recorded their activity levels, everything that they ate or drank, and the environmental and psychological factors sur-rounding each eating episode for 7 consecutive days. Results: The weight-gaining group ingested 1645 kJ/d more than did the weight-stable group because of a greater consumption of carbohydrate and fat and larger meal sizes. Conclusion: The greater food intake in the weight-gaining group did not result from environmental, social, or psychological factors, suggesting that the overeating associated with weight gain might be physiologically based.


What is 'humpty-dumptying'? Do 'arguments from analogy' ever stand up? How do I know when someone is using 'weasel words'? What's the difference between a 'red herring' and a 'straw man'? This superb book, now in its third edition, will help anyone who wants to argue well and think critically. Using witty and topical examples, this fully-updated edition includes many new entries and updates the whole text. New entries include: * Principle of Charity * Lawyer's Answer * Least Worst Option * Poisoning the Well * Sentimentality * Sunk Cost Fallacy * Weasel Words *'You would say that wouldn't you'. Thinking from A to Z may not help you win every argument, but it will definitely give you the power to tell a good one from a bad one.


Guaranteeing reproducibility and minimizing probe effects are major issues in the parallel program debugging. The paper suggests a new debugging method, called the Detect and Reproduce method, for message-based parallel programs. The proposed method is designed to guarantee the reproducible behaviors of a target program and to alleviate probe effects by reducing both the number of the probes to be inserted into a program and the amount of information gathered by those probes. The proposed method achieves such effects by employing a static analysis technique to detect nondeterminacy. By detecting nondeterminacy before running the program, only a small number of probes are required to assure reproducibility. To analyze message-based programs statically, an MHB (minimal happened before) model is designed to catch the synchronization structures and algorithms have been developed to locate nondeterminacy based on the MHB model. Utilizing the analysis results, probes are inserted only into the places where nondeterminacy is likely to take place.


Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) is an important parameter of the marine carbonate system. Underway analyses of DIC are required to describe spatial and temporal changes of DIC in marine systems. In this study, we developed a microvolume flow detection method for the underway determination of DIC in marine waters, using gas-diffusion flow analysis in conjunction with electrical conductivity (EC) measurement. Only an acid carrier reagent (0.2 mol.L−1) and an ultrapure water acceptor are required for the DIC monitoring system. In this system, a sampling loop (100 µL) is used to quantify the injection sample volume, allowing micro-sample volume detection. The water sample reacts with the acid reagent to convert carbonate and bicarbonate species into CO2. The water sample is then carried into a gas-diffusion assembly, where the CO2 diffuses from the sampling stream into the acceptor stream. CO2 in the acceptor is detected subsequently by an electrical conductivity. The limit of DIC detection using ultrapure water is 0.16 mM. A good repeatability is obtained, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 0.56% (1 mM, n = 21). The time interval for detecting one sample is 5 min. During the observation period, measurements can be switched between standard solutions and water samples automatically. Accuracy and precision of the instrument is sufficient for the underway observation of marine DIC in estuarine waters.


This paper considers the novel problem of deriving a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) link schedule for rechargeable wireless sensor networks (rWSNs). Unlike past works, it considers: (i) the energy harvesting time of nodes, (ii) a battery cycle constraint that is used to overcome so called memory effects, and (iii) battery imperfections, i.e., leakage. This paper shows analytically that the battery cycle constraint and leaking batteries lead to unscheduled links. Further, it presents a greedy heuristic that schedules links according to when their corresponding nodes have sufficient energy. Our simulations show that enforcing the battery cycle constraint increases the link schedule by up to 1.71 (0.31) times for nodes equipped with a leaking (leak-free) battery. When nodes have a leaking battery, the derived schedules are on average 1.05 times longer than the case where nodes have a leak-free battery. Finally, the battery cycle constraint reduces the number of charge/discharge cycles by up to 47.41% (45.67)% when nodes have a leak (leak-free) battery. Between leak-free and leak battery scenarios, using the former produces up to 51.46% fewer cycles than the latter.


Bacteraemia is a risk factor for subsequent clinical deterioration and death. Current reliance on culture-based methods for detection of bacteraemia delays identification and assessment of this risk until after the optimal period for positively impacting treatment decisions has passed. Therefore, a method for rapid detection and identification of bacterial infection in the peripheral bloodstream in acutely ill patients is crucial for improved patient survival through earlier targeted antibiotic treatment. The turnaround time for current clinical laboratory methods ranges from 12 to 48 hours, emphasizing the need for a faster diagnostic test. Here we describe a novel assay for accelerated generic detection of bacteria in blood culture (BC) using peptide nucleic acid fluorescence in situ hybridization enhanced acoustic flow cytometry (PNA-FISH-AFC). For assay development, we used simulated blood cultures (BCs) spiked with one of three bacterial species at a low starting concentration of 10 CFU/mL: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Under current clinical settings, it takes a minimum of 12 hours incubation to reach positivity on the BacTEC system, corresponding to a bacterial concentration of 107−109 CFU/mL optimal for further analyses. In contrast, our PNA-FISH-AFC assay detected 103–104 CFU/mL bacteria in BC following a much shorter culture incubation of 5 to 10 hours. Using either PCR-based FilmArray assay or MALDI-TOF for bacterial detection, it took 7–10 and 12–24 hours of incubation, respectively, to reach the positive result. These findings indicate a potential time advantage of PNA-FISH-AFC assay for rapid bacterial detection in BC with significantly improved turnaround time over currently used laboratory techniques.


The principles of green chemistry guide firms in designing new products and processes in such a way that their impact on the environment is reduced. Green chemistry is the new and rapid emerging branch of chemistry for the environment. It is really a philosophy and way of thinking that can help chemistry in research and production to develop more eco-friendly solutions. Green chemistry is a science based non-regulatory and economically driven approach to achieve the goals of environmental protection and sustainable development. All chemical wastes should be disposed of in the best possible manner without causing any damage to the environment and living beings. Another way to save the environment through sustainable chemistry is to make use of renewable food stocks. Chemical derivatives must be avoided as far as possible in any type of application as they often prove to be harmful. Large amounts of adipic acid are used each year for the production of nylon, polyurethanes. The glucose can be converted into adipic acid by an enzyme discovered in genetically modified bacteria. The use of supercritical fluids (SCFs) in chemical processes is becoming more and more prevalent. Carbon dioxide as a supercritical fluid is most frequently used as medium for reactions. It is inflammable, easily available and cheap. The discovery of supercritical carbon dioxide opened a way to new processes in textile and metal industries and for dry cleaning of cloth. This article presents selected examples of implementation of green chemistry principles in everyday life in industry and in domestic purpose.


Multi-religious places of worship are a continuous phenomenon in the history of religions from Antiquity to the present day, despite all concrete differences. Analysing a very well-documented example from late Antiquity, Mamre (today Rāmat al-Khalīl) in Palestine (Hebron/al-Khalīl), this article discusses and refines the theoretical concept of "spiritual convergence" developed by Benjamin Z. Kedar. By applying differentiated analysis criteria recommended by Dorothea Weltecke, it also examines the influence of economic interests, political power, concepts of purity, and aspects of time, as well as symbolic and narrative interpretations of the place, in order to explain why spiritual convergence took place at this location for at least five hundred years. The thesis is put forward that it is not only the peripheral location or lower symbolic importance that favoured the side-by-side cult at Mamre, as Ora Limor stated. Even more important for the successful sharing of that holy place was the limit of festivals to one per year and the narrative and symbolism linking the place of Mamre with the virtue of philoxeny and hospitality. This enabled the religious authorities to tolerate and perhaps even promote multireligious coexistence—especially as this was to the economic benefit of the region and thus of all ethnic and religious groups. Based on the detailed case study on late antique Mamre, the article also inquires which methodological findings and questions can be applied to other shared holy places. The emphasis lies on the interplay between building activities, ritual performance, and symbolic interpretation in constructing and sharing holy spaces.


An understanding of forearm and wrist anatomy is necessary for the diagnosis and treatment of various injuries. Evidence supports the use of peer‐assisted learning (PAL) as an effective resource for teaching basic science courses. First‐year medical students across three class years participated in an optional PAL kinesthetic workshop wherein participants created anatomically accurate paper models of forearm and wrist muscles. Participants completed pre‐ and post‐workshop surveys. Participant and nonparticipant exam performances were compared. Participation ranged from 17.3% to 33.2% of each class; participants were more likely to identify as women than men (p < 0.001). Participants in cohorts 2 and 3 reported increased comfort with relevant content after the workshop (p < 0.001). Survey responses for cohort 1 were omitted due to low response rates; however, exam performances were assessed for all three cohorts. Cohort 2 participants scored higher than nonparticipants on forearm and wrist questions on the cumulative course exam (p = 0.010), while the opposite was found for cohort 3 (p = 0.051). No other statistically significant differences were observed. This is the first study to examine quantitative and qualitative results for a PAL intervention repeated for three separate cohorts. Although academic performance varied, two cohorts reported increased comfort with relevant course material after the workshop. Results of this study support the need for further exploration of PAL workshops as an instructional method in teaching anatomy and highlight the challenges associated with repeating interventions over multiple years. As more studies attempt replication across multiple years, these challenges may be addressed, thereby informing PAL best practices.


The role of systems biology in the interpretation and analysis of important biological events is gaining rapid acceptance in a number of biological fields. Here a computational systems approach was applied to investigate the production and regulation of Escherichia coli's (E. coli) outer membrane. The outer membrane comprises of phospholipids in the inner leaflet, and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in the outer leaflet. LPS is an endotoxin that elicits a strong immune response from humans and its biosynthesis is in part, regulated via degradation of LpxC and WaaA enzymes by the protease FtsH. Despite a substantial amount of research conducted on LPS synthesis, there is remarkably little information on its regulation.
The model of the outer membrane synthesis was completed in two phases; firstly a model of lipid A (representing the LPS pathway) was constructed followed by an integrated pathway model which incorporated fatty acids biosynthesis pathway (representing phospholipid production). The parameters used to construct the model were derived from published datasets where available, and estimated when necessary prior to model fitting. Model validation was carried out using a combination of published datasets alongside subsequent experimental data from this research.
Model findings suggested that the FtsH-mediated LpxC degradation signal arises from levels of lipid A disaccharide, the substrate for LpxK. This was subsequently validated experimentally using an lpxK overexpression system. Analysis of the integrated model further refined this mechanism indicating the catalytic activity of LpxK appears to be dependent on the concentration of unsaturated fatty acids. This is biologically important because it assists in maintaining LPS/phospholipids homeostasis.
Further crosstalk between the fatty acids and lipid A biosynthetic pathways was revealed by experimental observations that LpxC is additionally regulated by an unidentified protease whose activity is independent of lipid A disaccharide concentration, but could be induced in vitro by palmitic acid. The biological relevance of this acute mechanism is not obvious; however, experiments aimed at causing abrupt damage to the cell wall or membrane (by antimicrobials) suggest that under conditions which directly damage membrane structure, LPS regulation via this unidentified protease may be crucial.
Computational analysis into the regulation of WaaA suggested that its proteolytic regulation does not affect the LPS synthetic rate. Subsequent experimental analysis provided evidence that WaaA regulation is aimed at controlling the quality of LPS synthesized by preventing glycosylation of undesirable lipid acceptors. Overexpression of waaA resulted in increased levels of 3-deoxy-D-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid (Kdo) sugar whereas, levels of heptose were not elevated in comparison to non-overexpressed cells. This implies that an uncontrolled production of WaaA does not increase LPS level but rather re-glycosylates lipid A precursors. This is the first time experimental data has been produced attempting to explain the regulation of WaaA.
Computation of flux coefficient indicates that LpxC is the rate-limiting step when pathway regulation is ignored, but LpxK becomes the limiting step if feedback regulation is included as it is in vivo. Thus, in contrast to LpxC, LpxK may represent a more appropriate target for novel drug development. Overall, the findings of this work provide novel insights into the complex biogenesis of the E. coli outer membrane.


Despite advances, the impact on long-term survival for individuals with epithelial ovarian carcinorna (EOC) remains modest. To date, efforts to find novel treatment strategies have focused on complex upstream oncogenic signalling pathways. However exploiting the molecules which govern these redundant pathways in the clinical setting has proved difficult. An alternative approach is to focus on the cell cycle machinery, which acts as an integration point for information transduced through upstream pathways. The DNA replication licensing factors and Aurora kinases are important cell cycle regulatory proteins which are showing promise as novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets in a broad range of tumour types. However there is a paucity of information regarding the role of these G1/S and G2/M regulatory molecules in EOC.

Here I show that there is aberrant regulation of the DNA replication licensing system and Aurora kinases in EOC. Moreover, dysregulation of these molecules is associated with aggressive, genomically unstable tumour phenotypes, which in turn translates into important prognostic information with regards to patient survival. Furthermore, I have shown that multi-parameter expression analysis of these proteins allows assessment of cell cycle kinetics in individual pathological specimens, parameters linked to the biological behaviour of these tumours. This form of analysis could be utilised as a predictive test for therapeutic agents targeting the cell cycle machinery or upstream growth signal transduction pathways that accelerate cell cycle progression.

Notably, my work identifies the Cdc7 and Aurora A kinases as promising predictive biomarkers and molecular targets in this complex tumour type, an intriguing finding in view of the nature of these molecules and their amenability to small molecule inhibition. Thus, finally, I have utilised in vitro RNA interference studies to provide early proof-of-principle validation that Cdc7 kinase represents a novel mechanism-based therapeutic target in this heterogeneous malignancy. Collectively, these studies highlight the prognostic, predictive and therapeutic utility of the DNA replication licensing system and Aurora kinases in EOC.


Thank you for downloading rational consensus in science and society. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have look hundreds times for their chosen novels like this rational consensus in science and society, but end up in harmful downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of tea in the afternoon, instead they are facing with some harmful virus inside their laptop. rational consensus in science and society is available in our book collection an online access to it is set as public so you can get it instantly. Our books collection spans in multiple locations, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Kindly say, the rational consensus in science and society is universally compatible with any devices to read.


This paper is aimed to describe all the texts of journalism as rhetorical performances in a general theoretic frame. According to the author's point of view, all types of articles published in printed as well as online media can be reconstructed and explained by the devices of rhetoric. For first we go through chronologically the different explanations of rhetoric, getting to the postmodern era with "nethoric". After describing the properties of the latter, we observe the impact of rhetoric on professional and civic journalism. Underlining the main arguments of the paper, we will show a Hungarian case study on the attitudes and rhetorical evaluation towards a particular speech. In the end, we summarize the most used informal (non-categorical) argumentative devices and tools in rhetoric and argumentation.


For macro-economists, the importance of holiday gift-giving is the effect of spending on the macro economy. However, for micro-economists, gift-giving has a different important aspect. The choices of purchasing are made by someone other than the recipient, the final consumer. Recipients sometimes receive gifts they do not like because the giver does not really know with any degree of accuracy the recipients' preferences. Such gifts are welfare reducing (deadweight loss) compared to giving cash. The cost of the gift is higher than its value to the recipient. In this study, we examine whether purchasing holiday gifts in Israel leads to welfare gains or deadweight losses. We also explored how the relationship type (family, social, workplace) affects the difference between the costs and values of gifts.


A thermodynamic model based on activity is proposed to correlate and predict the vapour-liquid equilibria of the aforesaid systems. The activity based models render an insight in to the molecular physics of the system; hence accurate speciation of the equilibriated liquid phase becomes a reality besides its prediction ability of solubility of the acid gases over alkanolamine solutions. The activity based model has been developed using extended Debye-Huckel theory of electrolytic solution with short range, non-electrostatic interactions. The vapor phase non-ideality has been taken care of in terms of fugacity coefficient calculated using Virial Equation of State. The equilibrium constants are taken from literature as functions of temperature only. The neutral and ionic species present in the equilibrated liquid phase have been estimated with zero interaction model and incorporated here. The interaction parameters in the activity models are estimated by minimizing the objective function, which is the summation of relative deviation between the experimental and model predicted CO2 partial pressures over a wide range.
The parameter estimation for the phase equilibrium models have been formulated here as a multivariable optimization (minimization) problem with variable bounds. The MATLAB 7.6 optimization toolbox has been used extensively for the present work. 'fmincon' function, which is a constrained optimization function uses quasi-Newton and Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP) methods, has been used here for minimization of the proposed objective functions with variable bounds for both approximate and rigorous modeling. There remains a necessity of refinement of the developed rigorous thermodynamic model in terms of the accurate speciation, i.e., exact determination of the species concentration in the equilibrated liquid phase and use of better optimization algorithm, may be non-traditional one, which will ensure global minima.


Sir, Uranium, the heaviest naturally occurring element (1), is valued for its radioactive properties. In the past five years, the mining of uranium worldwide reached a peak due to its increasing usage in nuclear weapons and power (2), which undoubtedly aggravated its environmental pollution. This radioactive metal has been proved to be linked to many adverse health effects, such as respiratory diseases, stomach and kidney cancer, kidney failure and leukemia (3,4). Additionally, it has been demonstrated to have reproductive and developmental toxicity in animal experiments (5,6). However, the distribution of uranium in the mother and fetus and its embryonic/fetal toxicity has been scantly investigated in humans. Zhu et al. reported that the uranium content in atmospheric dust of Chinese moderately large cities was relatively high compared with levels in many areas of the world (7). Zhu and Liu also found that uranium in major foodstuffs consumed by Chinese adults was several to several dozen times as much as the world reference values (8). Consequently, the pulmonary uranium in Chinese adult men (1.92g) was higher than that for the ICRP (International Commission on Radiological Protection) Reference Man (1.00g) (7), and the annual committed effective dose of uranium from dietary intake in the whole body for Chinese adult men was determined to be four times as much as that for the world reference man (9). Therefore, we presumed that Chinese pregnant women and their fetuses could be faced with potentially severe health threats induced by this radioactive pollutant and chose Dalian as representative of Chinese moderately large cities to conduct this study. After we obtained ethical approval from the Human Subjects Review Committee of Dalian Medical University and the Ethics Committee of the No. 210 Hospital of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, we recruited 86 mother–infant pairs from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of this same hospital between October 2006 and March 2007. All mothers had no definite occupational exposure to uranium and delivered at 34–42weeks of gestation. Exclusion criteria were maternal and fetal important diseases and notifiable birth defects. We determined the uranium concentration of maternal and fetal whole blood by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (8). The detection limit of uranium was 0.005μg/L. In our study, the detection rate of uranium in maternal and cord blood was 61.63 and 68.60%, respectively. The median uranium concentration in maternal and cord blood was 0.042 and 0.057μg/L, respectively, and there was no statistical difference between them (p>0.05). A significant positive correlation was shown between maternal and cord blood uranium (p<0.01). The detailed data are presented in Table 1. Our results revealed that the mothers and their fetuses from the general population had been exposed to uranium, and exposure levels of the fetus seemed enhanced with increasing maternal uranium. It is well known that Japan is now faced with radiation leaks, mainly comprising uranium and iodine, from the damaged nuclear power Table 1. Distribution of uranium in maternal and cord blood (μg/L).


On 10 October 2014, the Bombay High Court exercised its non-appellate jurisdiction to quash a transfer pricing claim in the case of Vodafone, in which the tax authorities sought to apply the arm's length principle to equity financing transactions. This interpretation has been accepted by the Government of India, which has decided not to appeal against the decision of the Bombay High Court. In this contribution, the author critically analyses the controversy to find that not only was the court's interpretation of the law potentially incorrect, but also that it decided the case out of turn, and without allowing for the facts of the case to be adequately examined.


Reinforced concrete is a material mainly used in the construction of buildings, historical monuments as well as nuclear power plants (NPP). For different reasons, many concrete structures are subjected to unavoidable cracks that facilitate the diffusion of atmospheric carbon dioxide to the steel/concrete interface. Carbonation at the interface could induce the steel corrosion which could cause the development of new cracks in the structure and thus it is a determining factor for its durability [1][4]. Several environmental parameters may also influence the corrosion development.The objective of this work is therefore to study the effect of the existing cracks on the corrosion development in different environmental conditions (rainfall duration, relative humidity). The environmental conditions tested are representative of those surrounding the cooling towers of electricity of France (EDF) NPP. The results indicate that the corrosion development is influenced by the cracks opening. However, it was found that the corrosion is not dependent on the crack orientation (horizontal/vertical) with respect to rain. Moreover, it was deduced that the most important parameter in the corrosion development is the number of humidification/drying cycles not the rainfall duration.The result obtained will be implemented in an operational model allowing the evaluation of corrosion kinetics of the reinforcement steel in the cooling towers of EDF NPP. This model will serve to optimize the maintenance program, implemented by EDF, which aims to ensure for the cooling towers a service life over 60 years.


Protein secretion of cells plays a vital role in intercellular communication. The abnormality and dysfunction of cellular protein secretion are associated with various physiological disorders, such as malignant proliferation of cells, aberrant immune function, and bone marrow failure. The heterogeneity of protein secretion exists not only between varying populations of cells, but also in the same phenotype of cells. Therefore, characterization of protein secretion from single cell contributes not only to the understanding of intercellular communication in immune effector, carcinogenesis and metastasis, but also to the development and improvement of diagnosis and therapy of relative diseases. In spite of abundant highly sensitive methods that have been developed for the detection of secreted proteins, majority of them fall short in providing sufficient spatial and temporal resolution for comprehensive profiling of protein secretion from single cells. The real-time imaging techniques allow rapid acquisition and manipulation of analyte information on a 2D plane, providing high spatiotemporal resolution. Here, we summarize recent advances in real-time imaging of secretory proteins from single cell, including label-free and labelling techniques, shedding light on the development of simple yet powerful methodology for real-time imaging of single-cell protein secretion.


Surveillance technologies are becoming increasingly important in the fight against crime and terrorism. More recently, technologies such as biometrics are being applied to provide an automated approach to the verification of individuals – removing the need for human operators. Unfortunately, current approaches suffer from a number of issues such as expensive biometric capture devices and reliance upon uni-modal systems. This paper presents a feasibility study into the use of an off-the-shelf commercial device (Microsoft Kinect) as a multimodal biometric sensor. An experimental study is undertaken, combining two biometrics modalities (face and gait recognition) and a soft biometric (skeleton measurements). Based upon 20 participants, the study shows an Equal Error Rate (EER) of 12.3% can be achieved – outperforming the results the single uni-modal approaches were able to obtain.


The process calculation of producing stainless steel crude melts by smelting reduction in a 150 t converter is carried out for the first time by use of the empirical data and calculation method of refining plain carbon steel in a converter, according to the blowing conditions of 185 t smelting reduction converter of No.4 steelmaking shop in Chiba Works of JFE Steel. Using the self-programming procedure for the processing calculation, the proper coke quantity and a complete set of calculation data for the process of smelting reduction in a converter are obtained, including the batch calculation, the material balance and heat balance calculations. The calculation results show that the increase of PCR can decrease the quantity of coke and actual oxygen consumption considerably, and improve the thermal efficiency of smelting reduction converter. For producing 18 wt% Cr stainless steel crude melts, comparing with the process of electric arc furnace, the process of smelting reduction in a converter can reduce the production cost greatly. The use of the recycled metal containing chromium can shorten blowing time and improve the yield of chromium.


Microsomal membrane preparations from the developing seeds of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) catalyse the conversion of sn-glycerol-3-phosphate and acyl-CoA to triacylglycerol via phosphatidic acid and diacylglycerol. The formation of diacylglycerol from phosphatidic acid was Mg2+ dependent and in the presence of EDTA phosphatidic acid accumulated. This property was used to generate large quantities of endogenous radioactive phosphatidic acid in the membranes. On addition of Mg2+ the phosphatidic acid was used in triacylglycerol formation. Acyl-CoA had little effect on the label which accumulated in triacylglycerol from phosphatidic acid. Diacylglycerol acyltransferase, therefore, may not play a major role in oil formation as originally envisaged and other enzymes, including diacylglycerol:diacylglycerol transacylase [Stobart, Mancha, Lenman, Dahlqvist and Stymne (1997) Planta 203, 58-66] may have important biosynthetic functions.


Effective mentorship is likely one of the most important determinants of success in academic medicine and research. Many papers focus on mentoring from the mentor's perspective, but few give guidance to mentees forging these critically important relationships. The authors apply "managing up," a corporate concept, to academic medical settings both to promote effective, successful mentoring and to make a mentor's job easier. Managing up requires the mentee to take responsibility for his or her part in the collaborative alliance and to be the leader of the relationship by guiding and facilitating the mentor's efforts to create a satisfying and productive relationship for both parties. The authors review the initiation and cultivation of a mentoring relationship from the perspective of a mentee at any stage (student through junior faculty), and they propose specific strategies for mentee success.


A systematic search is made for semiconductor models displaying non-equilibrium phase transitions induced by recombination and generation processes. Formal conditions are elaborated for some typical classes of reaction kinetic models with a phase transition. Under this aspect various recombination and generation mechanisms involving electrons, holes and traps are surveyed systematically, and subsequently two new classes of band-trap models exhibiting first and second order phase transitions, respectively, are constructed.


Introduction Penetrating thoracoabdominal injuries are potentially life threatening due to the associated hemorrhagic shock and visceral injury. Through and through penetrating injury with polytrauma is rarely encountered. Case Presentation Here we report on a 25-year-old male with penetrating thoracoabdominal injury caused by a metallic (iron) bar projecting from a pillar of a construction site after he fell down from a height. Conclusions Anesthetic and surgical management was difficult due to the inability to position in supine and rapidly progressing hemorrhagic shock. Surgical management for extraction of this iron bar and intensive monitoring and resuscitation resulted in an uneventful successful outcome.


According to firm lifecycle theory the agency costs of free cash flows are not transitory problems, but are a recurrent issue once firms reach a certain stage in their lifecycle. In particular, as firms mature their cash flows increase substantially while their investment opportunities decline and, to prevent retrenchment, managements need to invest in negative net present value projects. However, too much overinvestment leads to low firm valuation and potentially a hostile takeover. This paper extends firm lifecycle theory by arguing that to neutralize the threat of takeover, managements of maturing firms and their boards of directors progressively deploy antitakeover provisions which allow them to overinvest safely and prevent a decline in the size of their corporations. Firm lifecycle theory is also tested empirically. In this respect, a contribution of this paper is to develop a new empirical index that permits the identification of mature corporations with governance problems due to agency costs of free cash flows. The empirical results show that as firms mature agency costs of free cash flows increase, more antitakeover provisions are put into place and firms invest in projects with returns below their cost of capital.


To determine the possible roles of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and nitric oxide (NO) in the bovine oviduct, ampulla and isthmus collected during the estrous cycle were exposed for 18 h to TNFα, NO donor (NONOate), NO synthase inhibitors (L-NOARG, L-NAME and AMT) and oxytocin (OT) as a positive control. Prostaglandins (PGs) and NO2/NO3 in conditioned media were measured. TNFα stimulated PGF2α secretion on Day 0 (onset of estrus = Day 0) and Days 2–3, in both the ampulla and isthmus, but on Days 18–20 only in ampulla. TNFα increased PGE2 secretion in both fragments in each phase. NONOate did not affect PGF2α secretion on Days 18–20, whereas this NO donor stimulated PGF2α secretion in both fragments on Day 0 and Days 2–3. TNFα increased NO2/NO3 production in every examined phase in the ampulla and on Days 2–3 in the isthmus. L-NAME lowered NO2/NO3 production regardless of phase or fragment. L-NOARG and AMT lowered NO2/NO3 production in both fragments on Day 0 and Days 2–3. The possible role of TNFα, NO or PGs on the oviductal contractility during the early-luteal phase was also examined. Neither TNFα nor NONOate influenced contractility in either fragment. Although PGF2α stimulated the contraction in both fragments, PGE2 decreased it. When taken together, TNFα seems to play some role as a modulator of PGF2α and PGE2 production and for transferring the embryo from the oviduct to the uterus by stimulating NO production in the bovine oviduct.