Urbanisation will become one of the major problems of mankind in the near future. Mega cities and numerous large- and middle-scale urban centres will develop rapidly, especially in Asia, Africa and South America. There is increasing acknowledgement that rural, periurban and urban environments operate as a system (i.e., a continuum) rather than independently. Therefore, we need an emphasis on sectoral linkages that bridge the artificial rural-urban dichotomy. In terms of migration and urbanisation, periurban environments play a mediating role between rural and urban. This implies manifold ruralperiurbm-urbatl linkages The locus of poverty is slowly shifting from the rural to the urbanised sector. The phenomenon of poverty, nevertheless has to be understood as a cross-sectoral issue, interlinked across geographical areas and institutional frameworks. Poor urban dwellers in developing countries and in countries of transition (i.e. those experiencing difficult economic situations, with high unemployment rates, little formal sector development, etc. ) respond to food shortages and lack of purchasing power through the production of their own food in cities and various other coping strategies. Food production in cities includes crop, vegetable and fruit production, small-scale animal production, aquiculture, bee keeping and other forms. Often conflicts arise between these activities and the urbanisation process. History has shown that the urban poor belong to the most vulnerable group in times of crisis. Sudden food shortages lead to large-scale out-migration of urban dwellers to rural areas. Limited access to food, land and water are basic reasons for this.


This article looks at Etienne Goyemide's novel, Le Dernier survivant de la caravane, a mythical foundation story set in the last years of the 19th century which records an episode of the northern slave trade in Banda land, RCA, and throws some light on the African roots of the northern slave trade. It considers the narrative by evaluating its relation to East African history and by showing the impact of displacement on the villagers' individual and collective identity. It highlights the violence of the cultural clash as expressed in the style and structure of the novel, and reveals the liberating power of the spoken word in a novel written like an oral epic, with an unusual mix of narration, speeches, songs, chants, folktales and legends. The concluding episode - the slaves' escape and foundation of a new village - is shown as the accomplishment of the patriarchal vision proclaimed and nurtured on the way.


When the growth at infinity of a function $u$ on $\Bbb{R}^{N}$ is compared with the growth of $|x|^{s}$ for some $s\in \Bbb{R},$ this comparison is invariably made pointwise. This paper argues that the comparison can also be made in a suitably defined $L^{p}$ sense for every $1\leq p<\infty $ and that, in this perspective, inequalities of Hardy, Sobolev or Morrey type account for the fact that sub $|x|^{-N/p}$ growth of $\nabla u$ in the $% L^{p} $ sense implies sub $|x|^{1-N/p}$ growth of $u$ in the $L^{q}$ sense for well chosen values of $q.$
By investigating how sub $|x|^{s}$ growth of $\nabla ^{k}u$ in the $L^{p}$ sense implies sub $|x|^{s+j}$ growth of $\nabla ^{k-j}u$ in the $L^{q}$ sense for (almost) arbitrary $s\in \Bbb{R}$ and for $q$ in a $p$-dependent range of values, a family of higher order Hardy/Sobolev/Morrey type inequalities is obtained, under optimal integrability assumptions.
These optimal inequalities take the form of estimates for $\nabla ^{k-j}(u-\pi _{u}),1\leq j\leq k,$ where $\pi _{u}$ is a suitable polynomial of degree at most $k-1,$ which is unique if and only if $s<-k.$ More generally, it can be chosen independent of $(s,p)$ when $s$ remains in the same connected component of $\Bbb{R}\backslash \{-k,...,-1\}.$


I argue that the practices of a religion are more important than its formal doctrines. Tzu-chi is an especially good example of a Buddhist movement that stresses practices of compassion rather than adherence to doctrines. Tzu-chi's practices are very modern, using the most advanced scientific methods and adhering to the highest professional standards in health care, disaster relief, education, and environmental protection. But they are also very traditional, focusing on compassion directed at suffering individuals and engaging the whole person, the body and the emotions as well as the mind. In line with other forms of humanistic Buddhism, it extends compassion globally to people of all faiths, ethnicities, and political ideologies. The development of large lay organizations like Tzu-chi has been made possible by the modern conditions of middle class life in Taiwan, where people have some freedom from the demands of unrelenting toil but are afflicted by inflammation of uncontrollable desires in a consumer capitalist society. Although Tzu-chi represents a remarkably creative response to the problems of modernity, it nonetheless faces challenges from modern pressures. The true success of Tzu-chi – not just growth in numbers but modern cultivation of the virtues of compassion – would have important implications for ecumenical engagement with the crises of modernity.


Graduates feedback system (GFS) is a graduates-based communication platform that integrates enterprises, universities and graduates. This MIS aims to enhance graduates resource use, improve school education quality and university employment problems. This article was clued with the general development process of MIS. It illustrated the main points and some developing tips in the entire course, named requirement analysis, system design, system development and system implement. Under the aid of a large number of documents collected, and the actual survey, it came up with the advantage and application value of the system compared to the domestic and foreign alumni networks. It is believed that the idea of this MIS will provide a precious reference to education for colleges and universities.


Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) aetiology is not exactly identified, but it is characterized by pruritic skin reactions with elevation in the levels of inflammatory markers. Despite the fact that Corticosteroids are the mainstay therapy in the management of AD, they have many local and systemic adverse effects. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of topical tacrolimus ointment in comparison to topical hydrocortisone cream in the management of the AD of children diagnosed with AD. Patients and Methods: This study was conducted on 200 children with AD. They were simply randomized into two groups, the tacrolimus group treated with 0.03% topical tacrolimus ointment and the hydrocortisone group treated with 1% hydrocortisone cream twice daily during the 3 weeks study period. Results: At the end of the study, both the tacrolimus and hydrocortisone groups showed a significant decline in the mean serum level of IL-10, IL-17, and IL-23 (p < 0.05) when compared to their baseline levels. However, the tacrolimus group showed a more significant decrease (p < 0.05) in the mean serum level of IL-10, IL-17, and IL-23 as compared to the hydrocortisone group [Mean differences = 1.600, 95% CI: 0.9858–2.214; 1.300, 95% CI: 1.086–1.514 and 4.200, 95% CI: 3.321–5.079]. Moreover, the median mEASI decreased similarly from 32 to 21 in the tacrolimus group and from 30 to 22 in the hydrocortisone group (p > 0.05) [Median difference = −2.000, 95% CI: −2.651 to −1.349; Median difference = 1.000, 95% CI: 0.3489–1.651]. Mild to moderate transient stinging and erythema were the main adverse effects that showed higher incidence in the tacrolimus group than in the hydrocortisone group (p < 0.05). In most cases, they resolved within 3–4 days. Besides, tacrolimus ointment did not cause skin atrophy as compared to the hydrocortisone group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Tacrolimus ointment is more beneficial than hydrocortisone cream in managing AD in children in terms of lowering the inflammatory markers, however, there is no difference on the dermatitis severity scale. Moreover, tacrolimus is safer with a better side effect profile compared to hydrocortisone. Trial Registration: The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (CT.gov identifier: NCT05324618)


Recently the radiative B decay to the strange axial-vector mesons, B --> K1(1270) gamma, has been observed with rather large branching ratio. This process is particularly interesting as the subsequent K1 decay into its three body final state allows us to determine the polarization of the photon, which is mostly left- (right-)handed for Bbar (B) in the SM while various new physics models predict additional right- (left-)handed components. A new method is proposed to determine the polarization, exploiting the full Dalitz plot distribution, which seems to reduce significantly the statistical errors. This polarization measurement requires however a detailed knowledge of the K1--> K pi pi strong interaction decays, namely, the various partial wave amplitudes into the several possible quasi two-body channels, as well as their relative phases. The pattern of partial waves is especially complex for the K1(1270). We attempt to obtain the information through the combination of an experimental input and a theoretical one, provided by the 3P0 quark-pair-creation model.


Taxpayers complain that tax refunds process is long and tedious. Delay in tax refunds payment has led to businessmen and traders accusing KRA of being quick to collect tax, but slow in refunding. KRA has in the recent past put in place several measures to ensure that tax refunds are timely processed and paid. These measures are geared to accelerating tax refund processes. However, this has not been the case, and majority of taxpayers have to wait for up to five years before receiving tax refunds (Hira, 2011). The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that influence the processing of tax refunds by Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and which if addressed would lead to an improvement in the process. Descriptive research design was adopted with a focus on both qualitative characteristics and status of tax refund process at Kenya Revenue Authority. The target population was 90 staff involved in processing refunds in three departments namely the Domestic Taxes Department, Customs Services department and Finance department. A sample of 45 respondents (50%) was selected using stratified random sampling technique and interviewed based on a semistructured questionnaire. The data collected was analyzed using both qualitative techniques (especially content analysis) and quantitative techniques (especially descriptive statistics and correlation analysis) with the aid of the SPSS package. The report is presented in terms of tables. The results of descriptive analysis showed that the speed of tax refund processing was good (mean = 3.2561). The results also showed that the funding was inadequate (mean = 1.50), the audit and compliance checks were inadequate (mean = 2.4146); the information technology used was inadequate (mean = 2.4634); while the staff was considered to be inadequate to carry out the work (mean = 2.4544). The results of correlation analysis further showed that all the four factors had a significant positive influence on tax refunds. Treasury funding (R= 0.790, p = 0.000); audit and compliance (R = 0.933, p = 0.000), information technology (R = 0.594, p = 0.000) and staff adequacy (R = 0.725, p = 0.000). The study concludes that though the Treasury has been consistent in funding the Kenya Revenue Authority for monthly settlement of tax refunds, the funding is inadequate as it does not enable the Kenya Revenue Authority to settle all the tax refund arrears. The results further lead to the conclusion that in as much as the Kenya Revenue Authority performs regular audit and compliance checks for all the tax refund claims, these audits are inadequate. The study also concludes that despite the adoption of information technology by the Kenya Revenue Authority in the processing of tax refunds, this technology is inappropriate. Lastly, the study concludes that the staff deployed to process tax refunds is inadequate but competent. The study recommends that the Treasury should increase the monthly provisions for tax refunds. Secondly, the Kenya Revenue Authority should perform postaudit compliance checks. The KRA should also automate all sections that deal with tax refunds. The KRA should also post additional staff to the tax refunds sections in order to speed up the process as the staff currently deployed in these sections is inadequate. If possible, KRA should separate revenue collection function from the processing of refunds. More studies need to be carried out in this area especially to find out what other factors might influence processing and payment of tax refunds.


Background Work-related injuries (WRIs) are a leading cause of hospital visits in Qatar. Little is known about the burden of hospital admissions due to work related injuries. This study analysed hospital based trauma registry data for past seven years to understand the burden and outcome of these patients. Methods A retrospective analysis of data from 2008-2014 was conducted on patients admitted to the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) Trauma Centre, the national trauma referral centre, and its mortuary with severe WRIs. These were defined as those suffered during working hours or while travelling to or from work and severe enough to need admission to the hospital; poisoning or heat related illnesses were excluded. Temporal trends in the burden, external causes of injuries and mortality rates were analysed. Results A total of 3,980 severe WRIs were recorded during the study period. Most workers were males (93.4%) with a mean age of 29.3 years. Almost all workers (98%) were expatriates. Occupation was known for only 37.5% of cases, and out of those 80% were general labourers. Over 39% of all WRIs were transport injuries. Other important causes were falls (25%) and exposure to inanimate mechanical forces (14%). During the study period, severe WRI rates declined from 50.24 to 31.64 per 100,000 registered workers. Overall in-hospital mortality was 12.9%, with a decline from 15.5% to 9.6% between 2008 and 2014. The most common cause of WRI fatality was falls (49.5%). Conclusions Severe WRI incidence and in-hospital mortality rates have been reduced by almost 40% in the past 7 years in Qatar. However, we need to also document the burden and outcomes of less severe WRIs and those seen and treated by other providers. Further studies are needed to determine the true burden of work-related injuries in Qatar, with a focus on unifying national WRI data in order to better inform strategies for occupational safety and injury prevention. Road safety for workers must be a priority in Qatar.


Optical-field fluctuations due to fluctuations of the number of active emitters are predicted and the magnitude of the effect is calculated. The results indicate an observable effect, although the conditions for observation appear not to have been met in experiments in which light fluctuations have been measured. The magnitude of the effect is capable of yielding information about the thickness of an emitting layer or the product of line width and excited-state lifetime.


We have carried out Very Large Array (VLA) continuum observations to study the variability of Sgr A* at 43 GHz (λ = 7 mm) and 22 GHz (λ = 13 mm). A low level of flare activity has been detected with a duration of ~2 hr at these frequencies, showing the peak flare emission at 43 GHz leading the 22 GHz peak flare by ~20-40 minutes. The overall characteristics of the flare emission are interpreted in terms of the plasmon model of van der Laan by considering the ejection and adiabatic expansion of a uniform, spherical plasma blob due to flare activity. The observed peak of the flare emission with a spectral index, ν-α, of α = 1.6 is consistent with the prediction that the peak emission shifts toward lower frequencies in an adiabatically expanding self-absorbed source. We present the expected synchrotron light curves for an expanding blob, as well as the peak frequency emission, as a function of the energy spectral index constrained by the available flaring measurements in near-IR, submillimeter, millimeter, and radio wavelengths. We note that the blob model is consistent with the available measurements; however, we cannot rule out the jet of Sgr A*. If expanding material leaves the gravitational potential of Sgr A*, the total mass-loss rate of nonthermal and thermal particles is estimated to be ≤2 × 10-8 M☉ yr-1. We discuss the implication of the mass-loss rate, since this value matches closely the estimated accretion rate based on polarization measurements.


Abstract: Energy harvesting from salt water received attention started back in 1970s', but due to varying interests in the field and the growing potentials of other more promising sources, more work was required to fully establish it. This paper aims at identifying existing techniques of energy harvesting and the methodology involved determining an effective technique for small scale applications of the method. Capacitive deionization technique which involves electrochemical reaction was chosen for further analysis. The experiment was conducted to analyze factors affecting its performance including the electrode and the electrolyte. Combination electrode of carbon/aluminium, copper/aluminium and carbon/copper were selected and tested with different concentration of salty water. From the experiment, copper and aluminum electrodes were found to be the most effective among the rest. A DC-DC boost converter was used to step-up the voltage. Physical implementation of the circuit was done and the circuit was tested in which an input voltage of 1.022 V was boosted to 1.255 V. The efficiency of the boost converter was 38.17 % based on input power and output power obtained.


In the contemporary society worldwide, with a dramatic change of mentality among the young generations, particularly starting from the so-called Millennials, amendments to the traditional approaches and new innovative forms of education to be designed and implemented stand as the real challenge for the teachers of any discipline, in order to provide solid support to the learners, thus contributing to their courses efficiency and to the trainees' learning success. At the trainer's disposal there are today a plethora of e-learning means, with proven impact in augmenting effectiveness of the instructional process at all levels. Therefore, in the educational setting presented here, viz. engineering students reading Computer Science at bachelor level, with English as the medium of tuition, within the English for Science and Technology - EST course, the foreign language teacher, in search for variety, novelty and successful exploitation of humour and creativity in the language class, on the basis of some new and quite popular IT 'tools', has designed and taught a cycle of activities focusing on image macros, more generically labelled as memes. Thus, the paper is meant as a strong plea for encouraging learning by setting creativity, fun and avoidance of monotony elements in the lesson. Moreover, the linguistic aspects, as well as those culture-related, are also of significance, since, in order to create memes, besides the technical skills which are compulsory, one really needs a substantial array of softer skills, such as good command of the target language, sensitivity regarding cultural differences and, last but certainly not least, a great sense of humour. Hence, the approach proposed here hypothesises that, by embedding a cycle of tasks focused on designing and discussing about such a new and popular form of social media, having multiple functions and often becoming a viral vehicle for communication, of the marketing type for instance, or for spreading opinions among the masses, the repertory of (transferable) hard and soft skills alike of the students/would-be engineers will develop, together with their chances of employability on an ever more demanding job market (inter)nationally. Consequently, the aim of the paper is a multiple one, i.e. to: (i) encourage the students to make use of their technical skills in IT, but in an original manner - by creating memes, necessarily combining them with the linguistic and even creative writing skills, which could turn into a real asset for them as future specialists, required to advertise for the products they manufacture or to socialize in professional environments; (ii) design authentic tasks that are different from the usual, sometimes repetitive, ones the learners are used to, as such activities are based, apart from the learners' technical knowledge, on the intelligent thought-provoking and laughter-generating use of the foreign language. The eclectic, communicative core approach task package is described, and the pedagogic rationale is given for the manner of sequencing them.


The in-situ tests have been widely used to directly assess the strength and deformability of rock mass, along with which, various numerical approaches were proposed to give rational interpretations to the mechanical phenomenon happening during these tests. In this study, the so-called potential cracks are introduced into DEM model, leading to expanded DEM (EDEM) approach which is capable of simulating the cracking in intact rocks. The EDEM is applied to an in-situ triaixal compression test on a fractured rock sample. The simulation has well represented the failure mode, peak stress and elastic modulus obtained from tests as well as the cracking phenomenon and the slips on fracture planes during the loading process.


STUDY QUESTION
Is pelvic pain due to endometriosis associated with temperament and character dimensions?

SUMMARY ANSWER
Women with endometriosis and pelvic pain do not clearly exhibit a specific personality profile; however, personality is associated with pelvic pain perception.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY
There is research evidence suggesting that endometriosis patients with pelvic pain are more likely to present psychological disruption. Little is known about the association between subjective factors, such as personality traits, and pelvic pain.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION
This cross-sectional study (N = 133) is part of a larger research on the association between endometriosis and several psychological variables carried out between 2012 and 2014.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTINGS, METHODS
The participants were 82 endometriosis patients and 51 healthy controls. Endometriosis patients indicated on a dichotomous scale (yes/no) whether they were suffering from pelvic pain and were divided in two study groups: painful endometriosis group (N = 58) and pain-free endometriosis group (N = 24). The severity of pelvic pain (chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhoea, dyspareunia, and dyschezia) was rated on a 0-10 point numerical rating scale. All participants completed a 240-item psychometric test (TCI-R) evaluating personality in terms of temperament and character dimensions.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE
Women with painful endometriosis had lower novelty seeking compared with the control group (P = 0.017) and higher harm avoidance (P = 0.007) and lower exploratory excitability (P = 0.034) and responsibility (P = 0.027) compared with the pain-free endometriosis group, as well as higher fatigability compared with the pain-free endometriosis group (P = 0.001) and the control group (P = 0.032). Higher harm avoidance (B = 0.081; P = 0.002) and lower self-directedness (B = -0.053; P = 0.015) were associated with a greater severity of chronic pelvic pain.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION
These study findings should be taken cautiously for several methodological reasons such as small sample size, differences in group sizes and cultural homogeneity. More research is needed to further investigate the association between personality and pelvic pain related to endometriosis.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS
Our findings suggest new avenues for future research and treatment of endometriosis. The association between the severity of chronic pelvic pain and personality may help clarify the lack of a direct correlation between pain severity and the type and stage of endometriosis, as well as the inconsistencies in patients' response to medical and/or surgical treatment. Therapeutic strategies should be specifically targeted on individual women and involve an integrated approach to the treatment of chronic pelvic pain related to endometriosis.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS
There was no external funding for this study and the authors have no conflicts of interest.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
Not applicable to this study.


This book examines the institutional building blocks of China's transitional wage bargaining regime taking into account the macroeconomic and political framework. Special attention is paid to the more volatile institutional setting in emerging economies. The approach enables an evaluation of the how China's wage determination mechanism is developing. China's economic reform process launched in 1978 had far reaching consequences on the institutional setting of its economic system. This resulted in substantial re-arrangement of its industrial relations. In an attempt to better understand the changes, this book draws on extensive empirical data, including a case study of wage developments at German companies in China and an analysis of the macroeconomic functionality of Chinese wage bargaining system according to the Keynesian paradigm focusing on inflation, nominal wage growth, productivity as well as the development of consumption demand and wage dispersion. The analysis suggests that the functionality of the Chinese wage bargaining system performs poorly and that the current transitional system lacks a strong institutional structure. Although China's current wage bargaining system has seen some elements of strengthening its institutional structure, particularly in the area of more coordination, its design remains subordinate to the Communist Party of China's primary goal of defending an authoritarian one-party rule. Under these conditions China is unlikely to establish a more functional wage bargaining regime.


This Article proposes a legal framework for limiting the scope and duration of the collateral legal penalties associated with a criminal conviction. This framework is premised on a notion that the goal of corrections must be the full and early reintegration of a criminal offender into free society, with the same benefits and opportunities available to any member of the general public. It institutionalizes this goal by integrating it into the sentencing scheme, and making it an important responsibility of the sentencing judge. This concerned not only with the specific sanctions imposed by the legal system, but also with the degradation of social status often called "the stigma of conviction." Part I describes the law reform effort of the 1960s and 1970s, and the reformers' vision of how rights and status could be restored to convicted criminals. Part II reviews the state of the law today, and concludes that restoration procedures in state and federal law have become less and less effective over the past twenty years. Part III advocates for the approach to restoration of rights in the ABA Standards on Collateral Sanctions and Discretionary Disqualification of Convicted Persons, and argues that it can best be implemented by the two-tiered mechanism in section 306.6 of the Model Penal Code. This mechanism seeks to accomplish an offender's reintegration into society not by trying to conceal the fact of conviction, but by advertising the evidence of rehabilitation.


Background: Nurses are among the most important groups engaged in casualty support, regardless of the cause, and they are one of the largest care groups involved in disasters. Consequently, these workers should gain proper support and skills to enable effective, timely, responsible and ethical emergency responses. Objectives: In this study, we investigated the needs of nurses for proper casualty support in disasters, to facilitate better planning for disaster management. Materials and Methods: This was a qualitative content analysis study. Interviews were performed with 23 nurses, at educational hospitals and the Faculty of Nursing at Kerman Medical University, who had a minimum of five years working experience and assisted in an earthquake disaster. Intensity and snowball sampling were performed. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Interviews were transcribed and coded into main themes and subthemes. Results: Four major themes emerged from the data; 1) psychological support, 2) appropriate clinical skills education, 3) appropriate disaster management, supervision and programming, and 4) the establishment of ready for action groups and emergency sites. The participants' comments highlighted the necessity of training nurses for special skills including emotion management, triage and crush syndrome, and to support nurses' families, provide security, and act according to predefined programs in disasters. Conclusions: There are a wide range of requirements for disaster aid. Proper aid worker selection, frequent and continuous administration of workshops and drills, and cooperation and alignment of different governmental and private organizations are among the suggested initiatives.


— Indian spices that provide flavor, color, and aroma to food also possess many therapeutic properties. Ancient Indian texts of Ayurveda, an Indian system of medicine, detailed the medicinal properties of these plants and their therapeutic usage. Recent scientific research has established the presence of many active compounds in these spices that are known to possess specific pharmacological properties. The therapeutic efficacy of these individual spices for specific pharmacological actions has also been established by experimental and clinical studies. The medicinal effects traditionally ascribed to Indian spices are validated by modern pharmacological and experimental techniques, thus providing a scientific rationale to their traditional therapeutic usage. Many plant-derived molecules have shown a promising effect in therapeutics. Among the plants investigated to date, one showing enormous potential is the Piperaceae. Piperine is an alkaloid found naturally in plants belonging to the pyridine group of Piperaceae family, such as Piper nigrum and Piper cubeba. It is widely used in various herbal cough syrups and it is also used in anti inflammatory, anti malarial, anti leukemia treatment. So the present study was aimed to extract the phytochemical compounds in different solvent system in Piper nigrum and Piper cubeba. In preliminary screening and confirmatory test it was identified as alkaloid. High antioxidant activity was found in Piper cubeba ethanol extract i.e. 77.61±0.02% in comparison to Piper nigrum extracts with 74.61±0.02% with IC 50 values10.54±0.12µg/mg and 14.15±0.02 µg/mg respectively.


Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) as one of the most important types of adult stem cells secrete a variety of immunomodulatory cytokines. However, their immunomodulatory features strongly depend on the molecular cross-talk between cells and the surrounding microenvironment. Hence, some strategies were proposed to empower their beneficial effects during cell-therapeutic procedures to avoid confusing results. Licensing the cells with chemical compounds could be considered as one of the most applicable methods for induction of anti-inflammatory status in the cells. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a pregnancy related hormone which has been shown to be essential for the establishment of a successful pregnancy. HCG supports the implantation of fetus in the maternal endometrium, due to its immunomodulatory effects. Moreover, the regulatory role of hCG has been previously mentioned in case of some autoimmune-based diseases. In the present study, the capacity of this hormone for induction of different immune-encountered genes expression was examined in primary cultures of human adipose tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells (Ad-MSCs). In this regard, Ad-MSCs were exposed to 10 IU of hCG for 72 hours. Molecular studies via quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) experiments were performed to detect gene expression modifications based on the application of SYBR Green as the fluorescent dye and in comparison to the RPLP0 as the housekeeping gene. Results confirmed that hCG significantly upregulated TSG-6, TGF-β1, IL-1β and IL-6 expression levels comparing with the control group, while it downregulates COX-2 expression, and had no statistically significant effects on IL-10 andTDO2. In conclusion, priming Ad-MSCs with hCG may enhance the proliferation and immunoregulatory potential of these cells, although it needs further investigations to reveal involved molecular pathways.


Hadal trenches are the deepest but underexplored ecosystems on the Earth. Inhabiting the trench bottom is a group of micro-organisms termed obligate piezophiles that grow exclusively under high hydrostatic pressures (HHP). To reveal the genetic and physiological characteristics of their peculiar lifestyles and microbial adaptation to extreme high pressures, we sequenced the complete genome of the obligately piezophilic bacterium Moritella yayanosii DB21MT-5 isolated from the deepest oceanic sediment at the Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench. Through comparative analysis against pressure sensitive and deep-sea piezophilic Moritella strains, we identified over a hundred genes that present exclusively in hadal strain DB21MT-5. The hadal strain encodes fewer signal transduction proteins and secreted polysaccharases, but has more abundant metal ion transporters and the potential to utilize plant-derived saccharides. Instead of producing osmolyte betaine from choline as other Moritella strains, strain DB21MT-5 ferments on choline within a dedicated bacterial microcompartment organelle. Furthermore, the defence systems possessed by DB21MT-5 are distinct from other Moritella strains but resemble those in obligate piezophiles obtained from the same geographical setting. Collectively, the intensive comparative genomic analysis of an obligately piezophilic strain Moritella yayanosii DB21MT-5 demonstrates a depth-dependent distribution of energy metabolic pathways, compartmentalization of important metabolism and use of distinct defence systems, which likely contribute to microbial adaptation to the bottom of hadal trench.


The need for values to make a reappearance in the agendas of both business and academia has been a popular theme in the wake of the 'triple crunch' of a credit-fuelled financial crisis, accelerating climate change and soaring energy prices, with particular emphasis being placed on the role of leaders and leadership to steer us in a more enlightened direction. However, the contrasted positions of deontological and teleological ethics have presented leaders with seemingly incommensurable standards against which to make decisions. Even Aristotle's call for practical wisdom or 'phronesis' doesn't go far enough in addressing the 'content' of ethical decisions and the 'goods' that business and other leaders should be seeking to attain. This paper proposes that a radical rethink is required in the development of leadership ethics which challenges leadership learners to consider a Malthusian perspective on what it takes to build a better world. It is likewise suggested that business schools have an important role to play in promulgating this radical agenda.


The Editors regret that a line was inadvertently dropped from "Basement Membrane Thickness in Muscle Capillaries of Normal and Spontaneously Diabetic Macaca Nigra," by Charles F. Howard, Jr., Ph.D., in DIABETES 24:201–06, February 1975. "With the technical assistance of Audrey Griffin and Joann Wolff" should have followed the author's name.


Translation of poly(A)-containing RNA from the female fat body of Drosophila melanogaster in a rabbit reticulocyte cell-free system results in the synthesis of previtellogenin polypeptides (PVs) having higher apparent molecular weights (46,000 and 45,000) than the forms seen after an in vivo pulse labeling. However, when this RNA is translated in the presence of EDTA-stripped microsomal membranes from the dog pancreas, vitellogenin precursors are produced that, upon SDS- polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, comigrate with the in vivo forms (apparent molecular weights, 45,000 and 44,000). These processed forms are sequestered within the microsomal lumen, as evidenced by their insensitivity to trypsin digestion. Neither processing nor sequestration occur posttranslationally. In addition, a microsomal membrane fraction derived from Drosophila embryos is able to cotranslationally process the PVs as well as a murine pre-light chain IgG. These observations support a signal-mediated mode of secretion in Drosophila, and suggest that signal sequence recognition and signal peptidase activities are conserved even between mammalian and insect systems.


The topic of my investigation for Master Thesis is "Cross-cultural aspects of differences in management behavior and systems of inner companies' communications in Belarus and Sweden."The selection of the countries and the topic was stipulated by the fact, that during the past few years there have been significant changes in the relations between these two countries in terms of cross-cultural and social developments. One of the spheres that is widely discussed nowadays is rapidly evolving connections in the business cultures. The main objective of my work is to investigate how does management operational process undermine or underpin the system of internal communications within a company and creates corporate culture, how does the management behavior in the companies sharpens communications and whether they are effective enough to help the company operate and be successful.By doing my research I am going to start with the description of general aspects of management behavior, differentiate the types and look what are basis and backgrounds for existence of 5 types of them. They are "Autocratic', 'Permissive', 'Democratic', 'Paternalistic', 'Laissez-faire'. Harvard Business Review usually has very interesting and updated articles on these topics and I am going to look and do research on this type of literature first. The investigation, concepts and theories during the research I plan to support with real cases based on the examples of Belarusian and Swedish companies.I would like to continue with personal effectiveness and touch upon the questions of leadership, to categorize and explain the cultural patterns of business behavior. To look how does the personality of a manger affects the cultural climate and communications within the companies. For that investigation I will use the works by Steven Covey, Dr. Ichak Adizes, Jon Bailey, Fons Trompenaars "Business across cultures" and others. As well I would like to find practical support of the arguments in the companies and look how does the managers in both countries operate in the companies, how do they lead and establish communication systems.Then I will look more deeply into the system of business etiquette and communications in the companies. On the basis of the previous research I would like to examine the cultural and communicative differences between more relationship-focused and more deal-focused business cultures. It is interesting to understand how does the system of communications in the companies is formed and how does it form the inner corporate culture. As well to see what is the role of the manager in creating corporate culture and viable and effective communication system in the companies. The research will give answers to the issues of to which extent the existence of inner corporate culture and structured communications is necessary for successful operation of the companies. Here I plan to use the real examples of the companies and conduct several interviews with Belarusian and Swedish companies. As for the literature, I found a very relevant and updated source, written by Michael Rouse and Sandra Rouse "Business communications: a cultural and strategic approach." That work sheds light on the philosophy of communications in the companies. Again, Harvard Business Review has a lot of relevant sources. As well I read a very non-ordinary book written by Kjell Nordstrom, Jonas Ridderstrale "Funky Business Forever: How to Enjoy Capitalism", that is a wonderful source of ideas and examples of what do modern world demands from the managers, how they should build communications within the companies.What is essential also and I believe valuable is to look into the system of corporate cultures in both given countries. Corporate culture can be described as the personality of an organization, or simply as how things are done around here, how the company "lives." It guides how employees think, act, and feel. Corporate culture is a broad term used to define the unique personality or character of a particular company or organization, and includes such elements as core values and beliefs, corporate ethics, and rules of behavior. Here I would like to find core differences and similarities again by doing interviews. It would be interesting to investigate how companies single out by their internal culture, culture of behavior and internal communications. I would like to look at websites and other materials of the companies, since some companies even discuss their corporate culture on their websites.In the end of my paper I would like to interpret and discuss the business culture as a core and central issue in the philosophy of management in terms of cross-cultural understanding. Since the sphere of cross-cultural investigations and researches is novel for Belarus, I believe I could find out new facts and concepts, which I may then use in my future work. As well, I strive to bring new research ideas and some practical results which further could be successfully incorporated in practice in companies' activities and will involve more active participation and ideas for business exchange and learning.


Objectives Infectious diseases are the most common cause of disease stigmatisation, which can lead to a denial of healthcare, education, housing and employment as well as physical violence. Such stigmatisation is common during pandemics. This study aimed to examine the social stigmatisation of COVID-19 among residents of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in Riyadh in May 2020. Non-probability convenient sampling was used to recruit 847 participants through social media platforms, including WhatsApp. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, the Pearson correlation coefficient and the chi-squared test were used along with a multiple linear regression model. Results There was a high level of stigma among 21% of the participants and an intermediate level in almost 49% of the participants. Low stigma was indicated among 30% of the study's sample. A highly significant association existed between stigma, on the one hand, and older age groups, being married and lower levels of education, on the other. Conclusion Future awareness programmes should educate patients and their families about stigma as well as the consequences of stigmatising COVID-19. Stigma eradication policies and interventions should be implemented to avoid potentially harmful consequences for public health.


Manufacturing is intensive in the use of reproducible factors and exhibits greater technological dynamism than primary production. As such its growth is central to long-run development in low-income countries. Sub-Saharan African countries are latecomers to industrialization, and barriers to manufacturing growth, including those that limit trade, have been slow to come down. What factors contribute most to increases in output and productivity growth in their manufacturing sectors? Recent trade-IO theory suggests that trade liberalization should raise average total factor productivity (TFP) among manufacturing firms (Melitz 2003), but these predictions are conditional on maintained assumptions about the nature of industries, factor markets and trade patterns that may be less suitable in a developing-country setting. Manufacturing industries and firms are heterogeneous, so this analysis demands disaggregated data. We use firm-level data from the World Bank's Regional Program on Enterprise Development (RPED) covering Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania, 1991-2003. Among other things, the data distinguish exports by destination (Africa and the rest of the world), which is important due to the spread of intra-Africa regional trade agreements (RTAs). Econometric results confirm well-known relationships, for example a positive association between export intensity and TFP. However, we also find the destination of exports to be important. Export firms are more productive but have experienced declining TFP growth, and this has occurred at different rates depending on the country and the export market addressed. We show that these differentials are consistent with predictions from a modified statement of the Melitz model. The TFP results add a new dimension to controversies over the development implications of trade liberalization and the promotion of intra-Africa RTAs.


Insoluble polysaccharide fractions containing β-glucans as the main component were isolated from intact and disintegrated cells of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Films prepared from both these crude glucans as well as raw materials themselves were analysed by FTIR spectroscopy and structure, thermal and mechanical properties of the films were investigated using SEM, AFM, XRD, XRF, DSC and tensile tests. β-Glucan preparations from disintegrated cells had less amount of α-glucans than those obtained from intact cells. Films originated from disintegrated cells were more homogeneous, while crystallinity was more pronounced at films from intact cells. Glass transition of the both types of films underwent at the same temperature. Films from disintegrated cells were less thermo stable, stronger and less elastic than those prepared from intact cells.


Background:The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a brain region that has been critically implicated in the processing of pain perception and modulation. While much evidence has pointed to an increased activity of the ACC under chronic pain states, less is known about whether pain can be alleviated by inhibiting ACC neuronal activity. Methods:The authors used pharmacologic, chemogenetic, and optogenetic approaches in concert with viral tracing technique to address this issue in a mouse model of bone cancer–induced mechanical hypersensitivity by intratibia implantation of osteolytic fibrosarcoma cells. Results:Bilateral intra-ACC microinjections of &ggr;-aminobutyric acid receptor type A receptor agonist muscimol decreased mechanical hypersensitivity in tumor-bearing mice (n =10). Using adenoviral-mediated expression of engineered Gi/o-coupled human M4 (hM4Di) receptors, we observed that activation of Gi/o-coupled human M4 receptors with clozapine-N-oxide reduced ACC neuronal activity and mechanical hypersensitivity in tumor-bearing mice (n = 11). In addition, unilateral optogenetic silencing of ACC excitatory neurons with halorhodopsin significantly decreased mechanical hypersensitivity in tumor-bearing mice (n = 4 to 9), and conversely, optogenetic activation of these neurons with channelrhodopsin-2 was sufficient to provoke mechanical hypersensitivity in sham-operated mice (n = 5 to 9). Furthermore, we found that excitatory neurons in the ACC send direct descending projections to the contralateral dorsal horn of the lumbar spinal cord via the dorsal corticospinal tract. Conclusions:The findings of this study indicate that enhanced neuronal activity in the ACC contributes to maintain bone cancer–induced mechanical hypersensitivity and suggest that the ACC may serve as a potential therapeutic target for treating bone cancer pain.


Introduction Near the close of the last century the region around the mouth of Lake Chelan was visited by several of the early reconnaissance parties.[2][1] Somewhat diverse interpretations of the glacial features, particularly of the broad terrace that hangs 600 feet above the Columbia, were proposed and the region became the subject of considerable controversy.[3][2] It was the writer's good fortune to spend most of the summer of 1931 in a portion of the Columbia Valley where the physiographic features associated with the advance and recession of the last ice sheet are well displayed. Although the investigation was primarily of petrologic character, it is believed that sufficient data regarding the glaciation of the district were gathered to be worthy of record, and that the observations here presented will be of assistance in evaluating some of the controversial interpretations.

Eliot Blackwelder has kindly read and offered suggestions regarding the manuscript, and . . .

 [1]: #fn-1
 [2]: #fn-2


: The author reviews his experience with a series of 25 cases treated over a period of 10 years. The technique is described and the most common indications for arthroscopic surgery of the elbow are given.


Experiments were carried out in which the dependence of the fractional softening on temperature, time and strain rate was determined in a 304H stainless steel. Three prestrain ranges were identified pertaining to three different post-deformation softening behaviors: 1) prestraining to below the DRX critical strain: strongly strain dependent softening by SRX alone with softening kinetics controlled by growth rate of the nuclei; 2) prestraining to above the DRX critical strain: SRX + MDRX softening with weaker strain dependence of the kinetics but still controlled by grain growth; 3) at a prestrain of e* and beyond: nucleation-controlled MDRX softening with the full inhibition of SRX. The transition prestrain e* can exceed the peak strain if the DRX grain refinement  ratio g= D0/DDRX > 4. The transition to MDRX-dominated softening can be attributed to a constant value of the normalized strain hardening rate independent of the preloading temperature and strain rate. The softening data from the compression tests show that at e*, the time for half softening t50 exhibits a minimum. These data differ somewhat from observations obtained in the torsion testing of solid bars, in which no strain dependence of t50 was detected at e* and beyond. Whether or not the strain dependence of t50 vanishes in the MDRX range is sensitive to the test method employed to study the post-deformation softening.


Results are presented from an experimental study that compares the large-scale structure, mean velocities, and scaling properties of confined, supersonic, planar, turbulent, bluff-body wakes at M∞ ≈ 2 and 3 with corresponding results from incompressible wakes. The large-scale structure of incompressible planar turbulent wakes is recovered at downstream locations x where the local relative Mach number Mr(x) has decreased to about 0.4. Interactions between these large-scale structures and reflected expansion waves from the near-field recompression region lead to substantial changes in the scaling properties of the flow. Wave interactions with the flow create local self-induced forcing as the large-scale structures pass through the reflected expansion waves. In the M∞ ≈ 2 wake, a subsonic upstream path exists from the first wave interaction point that allows upstream propagation of the wave-induced forcing, and consequently the measured wake scaling constants match values reported from forced incompressible wakes. In the M∞ ≈ 3 wake, no subsonic upstream path exists from the first interaction point, and as a consequence the measured scaling constants match values reported from unforced incompressible wakes. Downstream of each wave interaction point, the self-induced forcing leads to an increase in the wake growth rate and in the entrainment of free-stream fluid. The wake subsequently detrains this fluid and returns to its original growth rate. This local forcing mechanism and its effects on the wake scaling properties repeat at each downstream location where the reflected expansion waves intersect the wake.


This article undertakes to outline the newly revised Japanese corporate legislation's practical importance for foreign investors, with a special focus on the corporate governance of Japanese stock corporations. Few of the new regulations require immediate attention from existing stock corporations, but the new legislation provides for more flexibility in general, such as abolition of the minimum capital requirement, flexibility in payment of dividends, or the option to replace the board of directors with a single director. The author shows, however, that in joint-venture corporations or other foreign-affiliated companies, the old system served the needs of foreign mother companies very well, while the new regulations do not necessarily provide major advantages. Additionally, the author gives some hints on why the newly introduced LLC and LLP may provide interesting alternatives at the start of an enterprise in Japan.


Nanocomposite structures composed of ferromagnetic particles dispersed in a matrix are systems in which the magnetic properties can be tailored by varying the size and spacing of the ferromagnetic particles. Nanocomposites of SmCo/sub 5/ in a non-magnetic Nb/sub 0.33/Cr/sub 0.67/ matrix exhibit a wide variety of magnetic properties. SmCo/sub 5/ powder is premilled prior to mechanical alloying. The premilling results in a maximum coercivity of 16 kOe after 2 hours of milling, and an enhanced remanence ratio. Both features may be due to exchange anisotropy and/or exchange coupling between hard and soft ferromagnetic phases. The nanocomposite samples show that, when the SmCo/sub 5/ particulates are small enough, the primary effect of alloying is to disperse them throughout the matrix with no further refinement of size.


2Inorganic CdSe/CdTe nanocrystals for solid-state photovoltaic devices are typically sintered into a bulk-like material after annealing in the presence of solid cadmium chloride. As in commercial CdTe devices, this salt exposure is a key component to improve device performance by promoting grain growth. However, in contrast to vapor depositions, we demonstrate that the role of the salt treatment also involves crucial ligand removal reactions, which are a unique challenge facing nanocrystal ink depositions. After testing other salts such as CdF2, CdCl2, CdBr2, CdI2 and Cd(NO3)2 for oleate ligand removal as determined by FTIR, SEM imaging of CdTe grain growth revealed the largest grains were observed from reactions with CdCl2 (142 � 26 nm) and, to a lesser extent, CdBr2 (131 � 19 nm). These results were used to identify cadmium-free alternatives. Trimethylsilyl chloride (28.0 � 5.1 nm), NH4Br (75.5 � 31 nm) and NH4Cl (136 � 39 nm) were also tested, demonstrating comparable ligand removal and grain growth to the cadmium halides. In order to validate these observations, heterojunction photovoltaic devices were fabricated from CdSe/CdTe nanocrystals treated with non-toxic NH4Cl in place of the conventional CdCl2. Under AM 1.5G illumination, open circuit voltages (Voc), short circuit currents (Jsc) and efficiencies (h) of solar cells processed with evaporated Au and commercial ITO were found to be Voc ¼ 0.46 � 0.02 V, Jsc ¼ 9.27 � 0.6 mA cm � 2 , and h ¼ 1.73 � 0.24 demonstrating minimal differences in film morphology and device performance compared to those fabricated using cadmium chloride. Specific properties of the salts (solubility, reactivity, melting point and the identity of both the cation and the anion) were found to have a profound impact on grain growth and consequently device performance, suggesting the need for further investigation of additional non-toxic metal halide salts for this reaction.


We discuss a simulation using OPNET Modeller [1] to produce a simple, typical network topology using industry standard switches. On testing it was found that the network was vulnerable to denial of service attacks and a switch failed to perform within specifications. We attribute this to the topology and use it as an example to emphasize the need to test even simple designs. This can be achieved using models or simulators where exhaustive testing of network infrastructure is not possible. We discuss the nature of a denial of service attack and the modelling of bottlenecks.


The outstanding physicochemical properties endow graphene materials (e.g., graphene oxide, GO) with beneficial potentials in diverse biomedical fields such as bioimaging, drug delivery, and biomolecular detection. GO recently emerged as a chemosensitizer; however, the detailed molecular basis underlying GO-conducted sensitization and corresponding biological effects are still elusive. Based on our recent findings that GO treatment at sublethal concentrations could impair the general cellular priming state, including disorders of plasma membrane and cytoskeleton construction, we aimed here to explore the mechanism of GO as a sensitizer to make cancer cells more susceptible to chemotherapeutic agents. We discovered that GO could not only compromise plasma membrane and cytoskeleton in J774A.1 macrophages and A549 lung cancer cells at sublethal concentrations without incurring significant cell death but also dampen a number of biological processes. Using the toxicogenomics approaches, we laid out the gene expression signature affected by GO and further defined those genes involved in membrane and cytoskeletal impairments responding to GO. The mechanistic investigation uncovered that the interactions of GO-integrin occurred on the plasma membrane and consequently activated the integrin-FAK-Rho-ROCK pathway and suppressed the expression of integrin, resulting in compromised cell membrane and cytoskeleton and a subsequent cellular priming state. By making use of this mechanism, the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents (e.g., doxorubicin and cisplatin) could be enhanced by GO pretreatment in killing cancer cells. This study unveiled a feature of GO in cancer therapeutics: sensitizing cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents by undermining the resistance capability of tumor cells against chemotherapeutic agents, at least partially, by compromising plasma membrane and cytoskeleton meshwork.


Abstract : The focus of the paper is on the utilization of the Center City Transportation Program (CCTP) to increase the effectiveness of federal manpower programs for the disadvantaged. The analyses will seek to determine (1) the applicability of mass transportation to the furtherance of the federal manpower program objectives, (2) the ability of existing manpower program delivery systems to accept mass transportation inputs, (3) the ways the CCTP might supply such inputs, and (4) how manpower programs can assist the CCTP. No attempt is made to judge the worth of these manpower programs. Rather, emphasis is placed primarily on how a specific application of mass transportation technology and programs can make a positive contribution to the realization of manpower program objectives which, since the early 1960s have been oriented more and more toward serving the disadvantaged. (Author)


Several design reviews and two formal experiments examined driver responses to route guidance displays. In the design reviews, single and small groups of drivers were shown displays and asked to explain them. This resulted in interface revisions and design guidelines. In a subsequent experiment, 60 drivers at a licensing office were shown plan, aerial, and perspective views of displays for 9 situations (T-turn left, etc.) and were asked to explain what they meant. There were few errors. Driver preferences were plan, aerial, and perspective view, in that order. In a laboratory experiment, 12 additional drivers (6 age 30 or younger, 6 age 65 or older) in a vehicle mockup were simultaneously shown slides of intersections (photographed from the driver's viewpoint) and slides of a navigation display. Drivers indicated whether the two images were for the same or different type of intersection (cross, Y, T, etc.). The response time data indicated head-up displays were better than console-mounted displays (1524 versus 1630 ms), and that aerial views were slightly but not significantly better than plan views (1501 versus 1523 ms), but significantly better than perspective views (1706 ms). Responses to intersections shown as solid objects were more rapid than to those shown as outlines (1557 versus 1597 ms). Error, eye-fixation, and preference data supported these results.


Individuals with sleep-disturbances, specifically insomnia, often exhibit aspects of perfectionism, and symptoms of anxiety and depression, however the investigation of these factors together has been diminutive. The present study examined the mediating role of anxiety and depression on the associations between sleep-disturbances, insomnia-severity and aspects of perfectionism.

Eighty-six participants (Age: M = 25, SD = 10.02; 80% female) were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Participants also completed two Multidimensional Perfectionism Scales (F-MPS; HF-MPS), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

Poor-sleepers demonstrated significantly higher scores on the F- MPS subscale doubts-about-action compared to normal-sleepers (t (84) = 2.54, P = 0.01). Additionally, global PSQI scores were significantly associated with doubts-about-action (r = 0.22, P = 0.04). Insomnia-severity was significantly associated with the F-MPS subscales of doubts-about-action (r = 0.32, P = 0.01), concern- over-mistakes (r = 0.26, P = 0.02), and parental-criticism (r = 0.30, P = 0.01). Hierarchal multiple-regression analyses, separately exam- ining the global PSQI and insomnia-severity scores, demonstrated that when anxiety and depression were controlled for, none of the previous associations remained significant.

The results indicate that:
1. bothincreasedsleep-disturbanceandinsomniaseverityappearto be associated with increased doubts-about-action;
2. increased insomnia-severity also appears to be associated with increased concern-over-mistakes, and parental criticism; and
3. these associations are mediated by anxiety and depression.

These results could suggest that treatments for sleep-disturbance and insomnia should address anxiety and depressive symptoms, with the prospect of alleviating aspects of perfectionism, specifically doubts-about-action, concern-over-mistakes, and parental criticism, that may perpetuate pre-sleep arousal, consequently disturbing sleep.


The transient characteristic of single-sided linear induction motor (LIM) was simulated and computed using the electromagnetic field finite element analysis software Ansoft. The change of the thrust, the primary current and the air-gap's magnetic field of linear induction motor was analyzed under the different air-gap's size condition. The analysis result shows that, with the growth of air gap, the motor thrust reduces but the primary current increases, and the distribution of motor air-gap magnetic field is uneven due to the existence of end effects. Finally a comparison is made between the simulation result and the experiment result, which indicates the correctness of simulated model, thus it can provide important basis for the manufacture, optimized design and control of LIM which is used in subways.


Semi-insulating 6H SiC substrates, 2", 3" and 100mm in diameter, and n+ 4H SiC substrates, 2" and 3" in diameter, are grown at II-VI using the Advanced Physical Vapor Transport (APVT) technique [1]. The process utilizes high-purity SiC source and employs special measures aimed at the reduction of background contamination. Semi-insulating properties are achieved by precise vanadium compensation, which yields substrates with stable and uniform electrical resistivity reaching ~ 1011 Ω-cm and higher. Conductive n+ 4H SiC crystals with the spatially uniform resistivity of 0.02 W-cm are grown using nitrogen doping. Crystal quality of the substrates, their electrical properties and low temperature photoluminescence are discussed.


Summary Aims and methods — This article, written from a service user/survivor perspective, explores a hypothesis which seeks to offer a more systematic basis for the full and equal involvement of mental health service users/survivors in both the research process and research structures more generally. The hypothesis challenges traditional emphasis on positivist assumptions about the priority of values of 'distance', 'neutrality' and 'objectivity' (which it argues discriminate against service users and their experiential knowledge). It explores instead the idea that 'the shorter the distance between direct experience and its interpretation, then the less likely resulting knowledge is to be inaccurate, unreliable and distorted. Results and conclusions — The proposal discusses ways in which such (objective and subjective) distance may be reduced, to improve the quality of research, to enable more equal involvement of service users and their direct experience and to make it possible for non-service user researchers to work alongside service users on more equal terms. Declaration of Interest: Peter Beresford is Professor of Social Policy at Brunei University and Chair of Shaping Our Lives, the national independent user controlled organisation which receives its core funding from the UK Department of Health. No financial support from pharmaceutical or other commercial companies has been received by the author over the last two years. Funding has been gained from governmental and non-governmenatal funding agencies.


Tea in all its forms is one of the commonly consumed beverages globally, after water. Apart from just being a beverage, it also has extensive therapeutic values. The phytoconstituents of tea either in their pure form or as an extract are essential part of traditional as well as modern day medicines. Tea has shown its medicinal benefits in treating, improving and preventing many of the ailments ranging from being potential antimicrobial, antioxidant agent to being central nervous system (CNS) stimulants. This chapter focuses specifically on physiological impacts that each of its constituents have over our nervous system like role of L-theanine to enhance dopamine and serotonin levels, theobromine, and theophylline for stimu-lating CNS, caffeine to inhibit adenosine receptors, hence, causing increase in brain activity etc. along with many more neuroprotective properties of tea constituents.


Waste stabilization pond (WSP) is globally one of the most popular wastewater treatment options because
of its high efficiency and low cost. However, no rigorous assessment of WSPs that account for cost in
addition to hydrodynamics and treatment efficiency has been performed. A study was conducted that
utilized Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) coupled with an optimization program to optimize the
selection of the best WSP configuration based on cost and treatment efficiency. Several designs generated
by the CFD/optimization model showed that both shorter and longer baffles, alternative depths, and reactor
length to width ratios could improve the hydraulic efficiency of the ponds at a reduced overall construction
cost. In addition, a study was conducted on the optimized WSP which consisted of an anaerobic,
facultative, and a maturation stage whose baffle orientation, length to width ratio, was specified by a CFD
model prediction and was compared with a three stage WSP designed according to literature suggested
reactor geometric configurations. Experimental tests were performed on a pilot scale version of the threestage
WSP where the removal performance was based on a number of parameters (Faecal coliform, pH,
TDS, and Conductivity). Results showed that the significantly lower cost design based on the optimized
CFD simulations displayed slightly better removal performance compared to the standard WSP design
developed from literature data. The results of this study clearly showed that unit treatment process designs
based on rigorous numerical optimization can aid in producing cost effective designs that make it more
possible for developing nations to incorporate adequate and effective sanitation.


Despite the critical advances toward khipu decipherment, the specific ways in which Andean khipu masters captured and organized the course of time in their cords, in the form of ages, dates, chronologies, and calendric intervals and cycles, remains obscure. This essay contributes to this central problem of knot making and reading traditions by enlisting the aid of an unlikely source: the memoirs of a mid-nineteenth-century gentleman who was given a striking account of how khipu masters in Cuzco's countryside recorded specific events of a twelve-month calendar in their khipus and made accurate calculations based on them. The analysis and reconstruction of Cuzco's calendar-demographic khipus is framed into the history of Catholic catechesis, which included early efforts at colonizing indigenous ways of thinking and experiencing time through tactile, visual, and sonic strategies. This process, rather than marginalizing knotted cords all together, as it is sometimes assumed, turned khipukamayuq into important, yet often overlooked agents for the gradual establishment of the Roman Catholic calendar in Andean rural parishes. Unraveling the basic principles for the accounting of time in these modern khipus by placing them in their historical context is a firm, and to our knowledge unprecedented, step toward future efforts at deciphering both quantitative and qualitative cords with a temporal component.


Due to the correlated nature of diffused light, the problem of reconstructing optical properties using diffuse optical tomography (DOT) is ill-posed. US-, MRI- or x-ray-guided DOT approaches can reduce the total number of parameters to be estimated and improve optical reconstruction accuracy. However, when the target volume is large, the number of parameters to estimate can exceed the number of measurements, resulting in an underdetermined imaging model. In such cases, accurate image reconstruction is difficult and regularization methods should be employed to obtain a useful solution. In this manuscript, a simple two-step reconstruction method that can produce useful image estimates in DOT is proposed and investigated. In the first step, a truncated Moore-Penrose Pseudoinverse solution is computed to obtain a preliminary estimate of the image that can be reliably determined from the measured data; subsequently, this preliminary estimate is incorporated into the design of a penalized least squares estimator that is employed to compute the final image estimate. By use of phantom data, the proposed method was demonstrated to yield more accurate images than those produced by conventional reconstruction methods. The method was also evaluated with clinical data that included 10 benign and 10 malignant cases. The capability of reconstructing high contrast malignant lesions was demonstrated to be improved by use of the proposed method.


BACKGROUND
Gastrointestinal duplications are rare, benign congenital lesions that may occur at any location along the alimentary tract and generally require surgical intervention. Presenting symptoms may be quite varied even among patients with the same anomaly.

OBJECTIVE
To review the clinical presentation of gastrointestinal duplications and present our experience with such lesions over the past decade.

METHODS
The records of all patients treated for gastrointestinal duplications at a tertiary hospital during 1987 through 1996 were collected, and relevant published literature reviewed.

RESULTS
In the nine patients with gastrointestinal duplications, six were in the small bowel and one each in the cecum, colon and esophagus. Presenting clinical features were varied and often subtle. Perinatal ultrasonography, radioscintography and computerized tomography were useful in some cases, while in others the correct diagnosis was established only at surgery.

CONCLUSIONS
Alimentary tract duplications are uncommon, and may present as solid or cystic tumors, intussusception, perforation or gastrointestinal bleeding. A high index of suspicion is required when dealing with such cases. Appropriate investigations, including imaging techniques, should be directed toward adequate and planned surgery.


Lewis system carbohydrate antigens have been shown to be expressed at high levels in many cancers of epithelial cell origin, including those of colon, breast, lung, prostate and ovary. The type 1 (Lea and Leb) antigens are important histo‐blood groups, while type 2 (Lex and Ley) antigens in healthy individuals are only expressed, at relatively low levels, by a few tissues, including some epithelial cells. Thus, the type 2 antigens are considered to be tumour‐associated antigens and are promising targets for cancer treatment, including antibody‐based immunotherapy. In this review, we discuss the conformational characteristics of the free and bound forms of Lewis oligosaccharides and the 3D structures of antibodies in complex with Ley and Lex antigens. Collectively, the structural studies have demonstrated that the Lewis determinants are rigid structures, which generally maintain the same conformation in the free and bound states. The rigid nature and similarities in shape of type 1 and 2 Lewis oligosaccharides appear to make them perfectly suited to driving a structurally convergent immune response (at least in the case of Ley specific antibodies) toward a highly specific recognition of individual carbohydrate determinants, which is a goal in the development of effective antibody‐based cancer treatments.


Water pollution is a subject of growing public concern. The environmental problems caused by the increase of pollutant loads discharged into natural water bodies require the setting out of frameworks for regulation and control. The scientific community has responded to the need for studies capable of relating pollutant discharge with changes in water quality. The results of these studies are permitting industries to employ more efficient methods of controlling and treating waste loads, and water authorities to enforce stricter regulations regarding this matter. Environmental problems are essentially interdisciplinary. Engineers and scientists working in this field must be familiar with a wide range of issues including the physical processes of mixing and dilution, chemical and biological processes, mathematical modelling, data acquisition and measurement to name but a few.This book contains papers presented at the Ninth International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Water Pollution and includes the following topics: coastal areas and seas; lakes and rivers; groundwater and aquifer issues; oil spills; agricultural contamination; environmental monitoring and sensing; experimental and laboratory work; mathematical and physical modelling; wastewater treatment; pollution prevention; remote sensing applications; novel techniques for water treatment; low cost technologies; pharmaceutical and pesticides; remediation; bioaccumulation; and micropollutant prevention in drinking water.


High demands are a pervasive condition in many people's professional, academic, and social lives. High demands occur, for instance, when people have many pressing affairs simultaneously on their mind.
 Because high demands can make people less successful at reaching their goals, it is important to understand how people can cope effectively with high demands. The present dissertation examines coping with high demands from an action control
 perspective (Kuhl, 1984, 2000). Action control refers to the mental processes that are involved in the formation, maintenance, and implementation of (or disengagement from) an intention. Such processes rely on a high-level working memory system that is
 partly located in the prefrontal cortex.
 In the present dissertation, high demands refer to conditions that are characterized by sustained use of working memory. Sustained use of working memory can lead to a transient decline of its effectiveness. Because working memory effectiveness is a
 key function of action control, strong action control skills may be an important factor in coping with high demands. Accordingly, the present dissertation tested the hypothesis that individuals who are highly skilled at action control, or action-oriented
 individuals, cope more effectively with high demands than individuals who are less skilled at action control, or state-oriented individuals.
 In three series of studies, I experimentally induced high versus low levels of demands or I measured participants' level of demand in their real lives. Coping effectiveness among action- versus state-oriented individuals was measured across three major
 psychological domains including cognition, affect, and behavior. In a first line of research (Chapter 2), action- compared to state-oriented individuals were found to be better able at cognitive shielding as reflected by the efficiency with which people can
 make use of their working memory capacity under high demands. Specifically, action-oriented individuals displayed more efficient use of their working memory capacity in an "operation span task" (Study 2.1) and a "postponed intention task" (Study 2.2)
 under high compared to low demands. Among state-oriented individuals, I found the reversed pattern such that high demands led to less efficient use of working memory than low demands. A second line of research (Chapter 3) revealed that action-
 oriented individuals are also better able at affective shielding as reflected by their positive affective reactions in response to subliminally primed negative affect in comparison with state-oriented individuals' reactions (Study 3.1).
 In a third and final line of research, action- compared to state-oriented individuals were also found to be better able at behavioral shielding (Chapter 4) as reflected by the ability to implement a difficult intention. Specifically, in a series of "Stroop color
 evaluation tasks", action-oriented individuals were found to be better able to override a strong but inappropriate response tendency (Studies 4.1 – 4.4). Across all three lines of research, improved performance among action- compared to state-oriented
 individuals was found only under high but not under low demanding conditions indicating that action compared to state orientation reflects better coping abilities rather than better overall mental skills across conditions.
 To integrate the findings, the present dissertation proposes the "updating model" of action control and coping with high demands (Chapter 5). Based on recent neuro-cognitive theories of working memory regulation (Braver & Cohen, 2000; Kuhl, 2000), the
 updating model suggests that high demands inhibit the neuro-cognitive pathway between working memory and behavioral output systems thereby rendering an updating of information between these two systems difficult. When updating fails, working
 memory utilization becomes less efficient, and intentions become less available to guide behavioral output. Furthermore, pathway inhibition is linked to decreased dopaminergic activity and reduced positive affect. Taken together, failure to update working
 memory is la likely reason for detrimental effects of high demands on different psychological domains including cognition, affect, and behavior.
 The updating model further suggests that action compared to state orientation facilitates the updating function of working memory. A likely way how action orientation restores the updating function is by upregulating positive affect (cf. Koole & Jostmann,
 2004). The empirical test of this assumption provides an important task for future research on effective coping with high demands. Chapter 5 provides some ideas about how this task may be accomplished. In sum, the updating model integrates the findings
 of the present dissertation with contemporary theories of working memory regulation, and provides some promising perspectives for further research.


PurposeThis paper aims to study the anti-diabetes activity of the Kombucha prepared from different snake fruit cultivars.Design/methodology/approachThe juices of snake fruits of Suwaru, Madura, Pondoh and Bali cultivars were fermented for 14 days. Anti-diabetes activity of the products was analyzed. Twenty-four male albino Wistar rats were used and randomly divided into six experimental groups, i.e. four groups of the diabetic rats treated with the Kombucha, plus the normal group and diabetic control group. The Kombucha were orally administered to the streptozotocin induced-diabetic rats at 5 mL/kg body weight per day during the 28-day experiment. The fasting plasma glucose (FPG), oxidative stress indices (superoxide dismutase [SOD] activity and Malondialdehyde [MDA] level) and lipid profile of the blood plasma were measured. The pancreas was used for immunohistochemical study and β-cells quantification. Data were analysed by ANOVA followed by Fisher test using Minitab version 16.0.FindingsFPG of the diabetic rats treated with the Kombucha (110.3-189.3 mg/dL) was significantly lower (p= 0.000) than the diabetic control group (413.3 mg/dL). Those were in line with the number of pancreatic β-cells of 42.1 in diabetic rats that lower (p= 006) than those in treated the diabetic rats (61.2-73.5). The treated diabetic rats had lower oxidative stress (SOD activity: 20.9-44.6 unit/100 µL withp= 0.000; MDA level: 0.37-0.48 ng/100 µL withp= 0.000) than those in the diabetic rats (SOD activity: 18.7 unit/100µL; MDA level: 0.84 ng/100 µL). The treated diabetic rats also showed better lipid profile than those in the diabetic control rats. There were cultivar differences, and the Suwaru and Madura snake fruit Kombucha demonstrated the most potential for diabetes management.Originality/valueThis is the first study on in vivo anti-diabetes activity of snake fruit Kombucha prepared from different snake fruit cultivars.


Objectives: To evaluate the outcome of percutaneous fixation of lateral malleolar ankle fractures by intramedullary screw.Methods: Twenty-five patients with Weber A and Weber B displaced lateral malleolus fractures were retrospectively reviewed after they had done closed reduction and percutaneous internal fixation with an intramedullary fully threaded screw with a washer. A 3.5-mm, fully threaded, self- tapping bone screw. The length of the screw varies between 90 mm and 110 mm, depending on the fracture location and pattern.Results: All fractures united within an average time to union of 5.86 ± 1.74 weeks. There were no deep wound infections or complaints of painful hardware. At the latest follow-up, functional results were excellent in 16 patients (64%) good in 8 patients (32 %), fair in one patient (4%).Conclusion Percutaneous intramedullary screw fixation is a good technique in the management of lateral malleolar fracture that provides good clinical and radiological results as it is rapid, minimally invasive, and without prominent hardware.


A thyroid nodule is a discrete radiologically distinct lesion in the gland paren-chyma. These are a common finding in the general population, majority being diagnosed incidentally during neck imaging. The major clinical relevance lies in the fact that 4–6.5% of nodules can be malignant. A thorough clinical evaluation and examination should be followed by serum TSH assessment and ultrasonography for assessment of size, number, imaging characteristics suggestive of malignancy, cervical lymphadenopathy. FNA should be done based on clinical and sonographic characteristics. Further choice of management modality and extent of surgery should be based on cytopathological findings supplemented by molecular testing if available.


The paper deals with the construction of age in the magazine "Rabotnitsa" during the Soviet time. In social context age is especially significant for women, because it has an impact on their lives more than on men's lives; that is why a magazine for women is under scrutiny in this research. Moreover, it is important to consider how this discourse about age changed during the Soviet time in order to understand contemporary situation with woman aging better. It is worth mentioning that age is a socially determined construct, which should be considered as other social categories like gender in order to create a complex overview of power discourse. During this period of time age was represented by three different types of categories: political, structural and corporal. The way of representation was strongly connected with political regime and economic, cultural and social situation in the country. Youth was the key-concept in all periods. Nevertheless, methods which can help to preserve it ranged from acquisition of literacy and active participation in public life to usage of special corporal anti-age practices and cosmetic procedures.


Body dissatisfaction is common in adolescence and associated with poor outcomes. The aim of this mixed method pilot evaluation was to determine acceptability, feasibility and preliminary efficacy of Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Body Image (IPT-BI), a school-based group intervention for young people with high levels of body dissatisfaction. Eighteen participants (11–13 years, 78% female) took part in two IPT-BI groups (n = 10; n = 8). Feasibility was measured by recruitment and attrition rates; acceptability using a treatment satisfaction questionnaire and focus groups; and clinical outcomes at baseline, each session and post intervention. The majority of young people (72%, n = 18/25) who were referred or expressed interest went on to take part. Average session attendance was 100% and 89%. Participants expressed high levels of treatment satisfaction with 94% (n = 16/17) rating IPT-BI as 'quite helpful' or 'very helpful' and 94% (n = 16/17) stating they would recommend it to others. Preliminary exploration of efficacy showed significant improvements in body image and significant reductions in interpersonal difficulties and appearance-based conversations. Young people valued specific IPT-BI skills (role play, communication strategies), alongside generic therapeutic factors (therapeutic alliance, group cohesion). IPT-BI is feasible and acceptable with promising provisional clinical outcomes indicating the need for a fully powered randomised controlled trial.


Delamination and crack were considered as significant failures in electronic packaging. For these circumstances, Modified Crack Closure Integral method was tested and applied to determine crack growth rate and for the purpose to understand failures. TQFP package was successfully verified by using the method. A PBGA package was modeled for thermal distribution and moisture concentration in order to calculate vapor pressure acted on crack. The energy release rate was the main concern among fracture parameters, which had been proven fully related with vapor pressure and crack length ratio in popcorn cracking.


This second, completely revised and extended edition of "Prions: A Challenge for Science, Medicine and the Public Health System" is a comprehensive, up-to-date review of prions and prion-associated diseases. Leading scientists discuss the structure, molecular biology and origin of prions as well as strain variations and species barriers. Human prion diseases, prion inactivation and risks to public health are considered in detail. The new edition provides an update on basic findings of the last three years since publication of the previous edition and emphasizes practical aspects of fighting human and animal prion diseases. In addition, chapters on regulatory aspects of BSE and CJD as well as on veterinary measures have been included. A valuable single source of information on what is currently known about prions, this book will be of interest to any scientist or clinician who wants to keep up with the latest developments in this fast-moving field.


The four-stage evaporator is the core of the process in the manufacture of concentrated grape juice. The dynamic features of this process are very complex due to inputs and outputs constraints, time delays, loop interactions and the persistent unmeasured disturbances that affect it. Therefore, this kind of process requires a robust control in order to assure a stable operation taking into account the changes in the organoleptic properties of the raw material and, to guarantee the quality of the concentrated product. This work proposes an adaptive neural model to control of a four-stage evaporator in a grape juice concentration plant. In order to obtain a more accurate process description the neural model is trained with data from simulation of a phenomenological model and afterwards, is validated with actual plant data. This strategy allows to carry out the training without to introduce disturbance in the real plant. Neural networks of different size are trained and the performance of one of the neural models is compared with the first principles model. In a last step, the performance of a model predictive control based on the neural model is evaluated for disturbance rejection and compared with a MPC controller based on the phenomenological model and with a PI controller. The achieved results allow us to conclude that the developed neural model predictive control is adequate to control effectively the four-stage evaporator.


It is a remarkable feature of most contemporary discussions of emotion that they have been conducted without any reference to what it could mean to talk of the expression of emotion in music. This is a crucial absence, I shall argue, since a proper understanding of music's expression of emotion must lead to a correct view of the nature of emotion itself. Such an understanding will yield the view that emotion is a state of consciousness which is both intentional and affective, and at the same time totally undermine the view that emotions are, or necessarily involve, judgments or evaluations.


Phonological theory in recent years can be said to have undergone a 'modularisation' in several respects. The formal theory is no longer expected to explain everything about phonology by itself: generalisations about phonological change which previously were used to motivate constraints on abstractness or opacity have turned out to make more sense as effects of real-time language acquisition and use. Secondly, phonological representations have become multi-tiered arrays, and much that seemed problematic about the application of rules has resolved itself in terms of properties of these arrays. Lastly, phonology itself is seen as applying both within the lexicon to the output of each morphological process, and to the output of the syntsactic component. The lexicon, moreover, may itself be organised into a hierarchy of levels, each constituting a quasi-autonomous morphological and phonological domain. In this paper I propose to investigate some consequences of this third kind of modularisation, the approach which has come to be known as LEXICAL PHONOLOGY.


This article tends to demonstrate the existence of an early feminine identification in the girl. For this purpose it presents some clinical material pertaining to a woman with clear evidence of an early Oedipus complex, involving a precocious link with the penis and the father. We found that the difficulties revealed by the patient with respect to her feminine identifications and her sexuality, are due to deficiencies in relation to the primary object, that were shifted to a difficult link with the penis. The material also shows that some positive elements in the tie of this particular patient with the father, were subsequently important in the acquisition of feminine aspects.


The core LATS kinases of the Hippo tumor suppressor pathway phosphorylate and inhibit the downstream transcriptional co-activators YAP and TAZ, which are implicated in various cancers. Recent studies have identified various E3 ubiquitin ligases that negatively regulate the Hippo pathway via ubiquitination, yet few deubiquitinating enzymes (DUB) have been implicated. In this study, we report the DUB USP9X is an important regulator of the core kinases of this pathway. USP9X interacted strongly with LATS kinase and to a lesser extent with WW45, KIBRA, and Angiomotin, and LATS co-migrated exclusively with USP9X during gel filtration chromatography analysis. Knockdown of USP9X significantly downregulated and destabilized LATS and resulted in enhanced nuclear translocation of YAP and TAZ, accompanied with activation of their target genes. In the absence of USP9X, cells exhibited an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition phenotype, acquired anchorage-independent growth in soft agar, and led to enlarged, disorganized, three-dimensional acini. YAP/TAZ target gene activation in response to USP9X knockdown was suppressed by knockdown of YAP, TAZ, and TEAD2. Deletion of USP9X in mouse embryonic fibroblasts resulted in significant downregulation of LATS. Furthermore, USP9X protein expression correlated positively with LATS but negatively with YAP/TAZ in pancreatic cancer tissues as well as pancreatic and breast cancer cell lines. Overall, these results strongly indicate that USP9X potentiates LATS kinase to suppress tumor growth. Cancer Res; 77(18); 4921-33. ©2017 AACR.


BACKGROUND
Recognition of a new therapeutic agent may activate an alternative programmed cell death for the treatment of breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE
Here, it has been tried to evaluate the effects of Shikonin, a naphthoquinone derivative of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, on the induction of necroptosis and apoptosis mediated by RIPK1-RIPK3 in the ER+ breast cancer cell line, MCF-7.

METHODS
In the current study, cell death modalities, cell cycle patterns, RIPK1 and RIPK3 expressions, caspase-3 and caspase-8 activities, reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial membrane potential have been evaluated in the Shikonin-treated MCF-7 cells.

RESULTS
Necroptosis and apoptosis have been occurred by Shikonin, with a significant increase in RIPK1 and RIPK3 expressions, although necroptosis was the major rout in MCF-7 cells. Shikonin significantly increased the percentage of the cells in sub-G1 and also those in the later stages of cell cycle, which represents an increase in necroptosis and apoptosis. Under caspase inhibition by Z-VAD-FMK, Shikonin has stimulated necroptosis, which could be arrested by Nec-1. An increase in ROS levels and a decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential have also been observed.

CONCLUSION
On the basis of present findings, Shikonin has been suggested as a good candidate for the induction of cell death in ER+ breast cancer, although further investigations, experimental and clinical, are required.


We report the characterization at the molecular level of a mutant glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) gene in a Greek boy who presented with a chronic non-spherocytic haemolytic anaemia. In order to identify the mutation from a small amount of patient material, we adopted an approach which by-passes the need to construct a library by using the polymerase chain reaction. The entire coding region was amplified in eight sections, with genomic DNA as template. The DNA fragments were then cloned in an M13 vector and sequenced. The only difference from the sequence of normal G6PD was a T----G substitution at nucleotide position 648 in exon 7, which predicts a substitution of leucine for phenylalanine at amino acid position 216. This mutation creates a new recognition site for the restriction nuclease BalI. We confirmed the presence of the mutation in the DNA of the patient's mother, who was found to be heterozygous for the new BalI site. This is the first transversion among the point mutations thus far reported in the human G6PD gene.


Intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL), showing unusual growth patterns of uterine leiomyoma, is a rare neoplasm characterized by intravascular proliferation of a histologically benign-looking smooth muscle cell tumor mass, but not invading the tissue. To date, less than 300 cases have been reported and fewer than 100 cases with cardiac involvement. Imaging characteristics of IVL are still not clear so it is usually misdiagnosed before surgery. A 36-year-old woman, who had undergone hysterectomy due to hysteromyoma, presented with shortness of breath after activities. Imaging showed IVL with mass involvement of the left ovarian vein, left renal vein, left external and common iliac vein, as well as within the inferior vena cava (IVC), extending into the right atrium. The operation demonstrated that the mass had no stalk and had well-demarcated borders with the wall of the right atrium and IVC. The patient underwent a one-stage combined multidisciplinary thoraco-abdominal operation under general anesthetic. Subsequently, the pathology report confirmed IVL. IVL should be considered in a female patient presenting with an extensive mass in the right side of the heart. Imaging technology, such as echocardiogram, contrast-enhanced computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, can provide important information to reveal the mass, the range and path of the lesion, and relates to the surgical plan decision. Consequently, perfect and exact image examination is very necessary pre-operation.