Objective: Fatigue is a common symptom in diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to determine the factors leading to fatigue and to investigate the effect of insulin use on fatigue among the diabetic population. Material and Methods: Onehundred diabetic patients attending the diabetes clinic of Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty between October 2017-January 2018 and 42 healthy controls were evaluated in this cross-sectional study. Questionnaires including demographic and disease characteristics, Fatigue Impact Scale (FIS), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), quality of life scale (SF-36), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used. Results: Ages (47.6±14.8 and 45.7±14.1 years; p=0.47) and body mass indices (26.6±4.1 and 25.3±3.5 kg/m2; p=0.08) of 100 patients with diabetes (Type 1 Diabetes/Type 2 Diabetes= 29/71) and 42 healthy volunteers were similar. The diabetic group had worse FIS total (p=0.05), FIS psychological (p=0.04) scores and SF–36 scores compared to the healthy controls. When the patients with diabetes were divided into two groups according to insulin use and compared with healthy controls, the ESS and PSQI were similar but all FIS parameters (total p=0.005, cognitive p=0.007, physical p=0.01, psychological p=0.009) and BDI (p=0.05) were significantly worse in patients with insulin use than non-insulin and control groups. The relationship between fatigue and insulin use was independent of glycemic control and duration of diabetes but was affected by the BDI (p=0.001). Conclusion: Insulin use leads to fatigue in patients with diabetes, regardless of diabetes type, and this effect is influenced by depressive mood. Psychotherapeutic approaches prior to insulin treatment might yield fruitful


Aurora B (Aur-B) plays multiple roles in mitosis, of which the best known are to ensure bi-orientation of sister chromatids by destabilizing incorrectly attached kinetochore microtubules and to participate in cytokinesis. Studies in Xenopus egg extracts, however, have indicated that Aur-B and the chromosome passenger complex play an important role in stabilizing chromosome-associated spindle microtubules. Aur-B stabilizes spindle microtubules in the egg extracts by inhibiting the catastrophe kinesin MCAK. Whether or not Aur-B plays a similar role in intact oocytes remains unknown. Here we have employed a dominant-negative Aur-B mutant (Aur-B122R, in which the ATP-binding lysine122 is replaced with arginine) to investigate the function of Aur-B in spindle assembly in Xenopus oocytes undergoing meiosis. Overexpression of Aur-B122R results in short bipolar spindles or monopolar spindles, with higher concentrations of Aur-B122R producing mostly the latter. Simultaneous inhibition of MCAK translation in oocytes overexpressing Aur-B122R results in suppression of monopolar phenotype, suggesting that Aur-B regulates spindle bipolarity by inhibiting MCAK. Furthermore, recombinant MCAK-4A protein, which lacks all four Aur-B phosphoryaltion sites and is therefore insensitive to Aur-B inhibition but not wild-type MCAK, recapitulated the monopolar phenotype in the oocytes. These results suggest that in vertebrate oocytes that lack centrosomes, one major function of Aur-B is to stabilize chromosome-associated spindle microtubules to ensure spindle bipolarity.


Cooking is a tangible, familiar, and delicious tool for teaching physics, which is easy to implement in a university setting. Through our courses at Harvard and UCLA, each year we are engaging hundreds of undergraduate students, primarily non-science majors, in science concepts and the scientific research process. We find that weekly lectures by chefs and professors, paired with edible lab experiments, generate enthusiasm and provide strong motivation for students to learn physics. By the end of the course, students are able to conduct independent scientific research and present their results in a final science fair. Given the considerable broad appeal of food and cooking, the topic could be adapted to other post-secondary as well as secondary-level courses.


We present a Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
technique for the characterisation of biological and non-biological samples at
nano-scale level. Scanning Electron Microscopy has been around for a long while
especially in material science laboratories in developed countries. The SEM has
enabled scientist to have a better understanding of microstructure by providing
unsurpassed optical magnifications of samples. In this introductory paper, we introduce the techniques of using SEM to capture
highly magnified microstructure of a fly found on an African soybean (Glycine
max) seed. We are able to estimate the number of lenses in each eye and zoom into
features that could describe its life characteristics. Hexagonal lenses are
estimated to have sizes ranging from 14 um to 19 um. This paper also presents a
finding of a sea coral "pie like structure" on a single grain of sand used for
water filtration.


The world is undergoing a major crisis due to COVID-19 and most industries are being severely affected, although Medical Tourism is one of the hardest hit. The trends of travelling abroad for medical conditions came to a slowdown and near screeching halt as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19. Thousands of travelers were forced to cancel trips or postpone due to the outbreak. Travel abroad has become uncertain and risky, while borders have been closed to major countries and travel to some regions has been banned. This has affected the health care providers, the tourism industry as well as individuals seeking medical attention. COVID-19 has greatly impacted elective surgeries around the world, creating intended and unintended consequences. This paper is an attempt by the authors to share the impact of this pandemic on medical tourism along with suggestions for recovery.


Nearly all load bearing transformers in electric power delivery systems around the world are filled with liquid. The liquid functions both as an electrical insulation and as a heat transfer fluid. The liquid in almost all of these units is transformer oil, petroleum-based insulating oil refined specifically to meet the requirements of this application. Transformers in electric power distribution and transmission systems are expected to function reliably and efficiently and to do this for many years. The quality of the oil in a transformer plays an important role in performing this function, and the characteristics of transformer oil have been examined and reported on for decades. This article discusses some of these characteristics and the relationships between these characteristics and the production and in-service performance of mineral transformer oil. Transformer oil is used around the world, but the emphasis here is on practices in the United States.


Bell, Andrea, AnneMarie Gagnon, Patti Dods, Denise Papineau, Mario Tiberi, and Alexander Sorisky. TSH signaling and cell survival in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 283: C1056–C1064, 2002; 10.1152/ ajpcell.00058.2002.—Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) action in adipose tissue remains largely unknown. Our previous work indicates that human preadipocytes express functional TSH receptor (TSHR) protein, demonstrated by TSH activation of p70 S6 kinase (p70 S6K). We have now studied murine 3T3-L1 preadipocytes to further characterize TSH signaling and cellular action. Western blot analysis of 3T3-L1 preadipocyte lysate revealed the 100-kDa mature processed form of TSHR. TSH activated p70 S6K and protein kinase B (PKB/Akt), as measured by immunoblot analysis. Preincubation with wortmannin or LY-294002 completely blocked TSH activation of p70 S6K and PKB/Akt, implicating phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) in their regulation. TSH increased phosphotyrosine protein(s) in the 125-kDa region and augmented the associated PI3K activity fourfold. TSH had no effect on cAMP levels in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, suggesting that adenylyl cyclase is not involved in TSH activation of the PI3K-PKB/Akt-p70 S6K pathway. 3T3-L1 preadipocyte cell death was reduced by 29–76% in serum-deprived (6 h) preadipocytes treated with 1–20 M TSH. In the presence of 20 M TSH, an 88% reduction in terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells was observed in serum-starved (3 h) 3T3-L1 preadipocytes as well as a 93% reduction in the level of cleaved activated caspase 3. In summary, TSH acts as a survival factor in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. TSH does not stimulate cAMP accumulation in these cells but instead activates a PI3K-PKB/Akt-p70 S6K pathway.


In response to the global decline of the White-clawed crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes, key conservation strategies have been developed in the United Kingdom and Ireland, including the supplementation of existing populations and establishment of new populations, using captive-breeding methods and/or translocations. The South West Crayfish Partnership (SWCP), a group of UK-based conservation organizations, oversees population-enhancement programmes in south-west England. Since 2006 the SWCP has established 16 ark sites (safe refuges) and conducted one river supplementation. In total, 17 sites have been stocked with over 5000 translocated and captive-hatched A. pallipes, increasing the number of discrete in situ populations in the region by at least 75%. A similar programme in southern Wales, led by Natural Resources Wales, has restocked three river catchments and one English still-water site with a total of over 4700 captive-reared juvenile A. pallipes. Although many of these ark sites are newly established, preliminary monitoring results are encouraging; at least 75% of ark sites in south-west England are currently viable and the three Welsh sites that have been monitored so far suggest continued presence of White-clawed crayfish.


In the spirit of von Neumann and Morgenstern (1947), this paper provides an axiomatic representation of information. Under the von Neumann-Morgenstern axioms, along with an additional continuity, indifference to randomization, and a Blackwell informativeness axiom, I show that any ordering over information can be essentially uniquely represented as, equivalently: (a) a strictly increasing cost of information acquisition; (b) for a given prior, the expected utility from a decision problem; (c) for a given prior, an additive posterior-separable measure of uncertainty; and (d) a separable cost of signals. I discuss the implications of the results for the rational inattention literature.


The new democracy in South Africa advocates for a community participatory approach in matters of governance using the Imbizo (plural, Izimbizo ) among other channels. Existent studies on Imbizo indicate that the major motivation for organisation of such gatherings by governments appears to be interactive community mobilisation, rather than feedback to matters raised during such gatherings. However, if participatory development aided by communication is to be effective, then it is imperative that feedback is provided not only during a once-off interaction with citizens by government but also, and more importantly, as follow-up to grievances raised during Imbizo .Adoption of Imbizo as effective channels of communication necessitates a provision of quality feedback by government to service delivery concerns raised at the Imbizo . A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with participants from three local municipalities in Limpopo Province. Findings reveal that the Limpopo Provincial Government does not provide adequate feedback to service delivery matters raised by communities during Imbizo . The study is relevant to the scholarship of government communication in the context of public discourse, which attributes growing sporadic service delivery protests to poor or inadequate feedback from government.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the quality of reporting by randomized controlled trial (RCT) related to dental implants in China during 2000 to 2012 by using the revised Jadad scale and consolidated standards of reporting trials (CONSORT) (2010) statement.

METHODS
The following electronic databases were searched: Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, PubMed, and EMBASE. A total of 19 journals of stomatology in China were also searched manually. The qualities of RCT with dental implant published between 2000 and 2012 were assessed using CONSORT (2010) statement and revised Jadad scale.

RESULTS
Twenty-eight RCTs related to dental implants were identified. The quality of reporting in 28 articles was low. The mean revised Jadad score was 1.29 ± 0.71 and the CONSORT (2010) score was 9.75 ± 3.60.

CONCLUSION
The methodological qualities of the included studies on dental implants are generally low, and reporting quality remain unsatisfactory.


Summary A total of 225 pigs (PIC 327 × 1050, initially 25.5 lb) were used in a 21-d trial to evaluate the effects of copper source and level on nursery pig growth performance. Pens of pigs were balanced by initial BW and randomly allotted to 1 of 5 dietary treatments with 9 replications per treatment. The 5 corn and soybean meal-based diets were arranged in a 2 × 2 + 1 factorial with main effects of copper source — copper sulfate (CuSO 4 ) or tribasic copper chloride (TBCC) — and copper level (100 or 200 ppm) with a negative control. From weaning to 25 lb, pigs were fed a common phase 2 diet with added Zn and Cu levels of 1,965 and 17 ppm, respectively. Overall (d 0 to 21), no copper source × level interactions ( P > 0.10) were observed for any growth criteria. There were also no effects ( P > 0.10) of copper, copper level, or copper source. These data suggest that adding high levels of copper from either CuSO 4 or TBCC to late nursery diets did not result in improved performance. Additional research should be conducted to determine if a late nursery Cu response is dependent on Zn concentrations in earlier diets.


For about twenty-five centuries observations have been made of a great number of possible precursory phenomena of seismic events, and related data have been gathered and recorded by observers, whether professional, casual, or indirect. During the last 120 years such data have been collected more systematically; they have become the object of prediction-oriented applied research during the last thirty years, in conjunction with a better understanding of the physical and chemical phenomena which accompany earthquake occurrences. The main ways in which concepts about earthquakes, earthquake precursors, and earthquake prediction research have spread in space and time have been reconstructed. The constraining scientific and economic factors that have caused acceleration or retardation in seismic precursor research have been considered and commented upon.


Although it is well established that college entrance exams have become a key factor for admission to selective institutions, less is known about the influence of test scores in relation to other academic factors in the evaluation of a student's application file. This study conducts a randomized-controlled trial to determine whether providing students' test scores in context—how they perform relative to their school and neighborhood peers—increases the likelihood that admission officers (n = 321) would recommend admitting low-socioeconomic status (SES) applicants. The study also examines how including a personal admission essay that conveys grit, or ability to persevere in the pursuit of long-term goals, influences admission decision making. Admission officers in the contextual condition were significantly more likely to accept both the low-SES and high-SES applicant than those without contextual information on test scores; however, they were not more likely to accept applicants who convey grit in their personal essays.


Automatic power line fault detection is a device that detects, identifies and locates the fault present in the power distribution line caused by various natural or manmade forces. This project mainly focuses on the section of power line that connects the transformer with customers. These faults are directly affects the customers so that it must be found out and rectified as fast as possible. This is done by placing individual units on certain points of the powerline which consists of set of voltage and current sensors. Using sensor values, the system checks whether there is any fault is present on the line or not.


Purpose: To examine the role that detailed machine logs, supplementary procedural documentation and vendor‐generated technique and dosimetry information can play in refining calculation of peak skin dose for sentinel event investigations.Methods: Vendor‐specific machine logs, skin‐dose estimations, and procedural observations can supplement the fluoroscopic times and air kerma values that all fluoroscopic machines are required to report since 2006. Information available from vendors varies considerably, and in some cases specific application products must be purchased to access this information. Information embodied may include table position, c‐arm geometry, collimation, individual run and fluoro acquisition dosimetry, technique factors (mA, kVp, pulse configuration), mode of operation and other data. Peak skin dose estimates based on HIS/RIS data and DICOM image headers were compared to calculations supplemented by the detailed machine logs and vendor dosimetry estimates. Skin dose maps were generated from air kerma readings and from the DICOM information associated with each run. Assumptions are necessary in this approach to apportion the fluoroscopic contribution, which can be 80% of the air kerma. Corresponding skin dose maps were generated with inclusion of more detailed machine log data and the resulting peak skin dose location and magnitudes were compared.Results: Significant deviations were observed between peak skin dose calculations based on DICOM information alone with attendant assumptions versus those obtained with more detailed machine log data. Detailed logs provide complementary information that replaces assumptions on fluoroscopic dose contributions with more reliable values. Conclusions: Additional information from vendor's logs and dose‐ estimates and from other sources can increase the confidence in skin‐dose calculations, but the specific assumptions made by both the physicist and the vendor in making such estimates must be carefully examined. The comparison enables the stand‐alone assumptions to be validated and also allows evaluation of vendor dosimetry estimates.


Many industries heavily rely upon advances in electronic devices. As development of electronics continues, new structures and new materials are being utilised. The reliability of these new technologies therefore need to meet the same high levels as the traditional technologies that they are replacing. Industries such as space and nuclear in particular, face an additional challenge affecting the reliability of their electrical devices; radiation. Ionizing radiation in particular can damage dielectric layers in devices such as metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistors and resistive memories. In either case, controlling the radiation effects of dielectrics is essential for the reliability of these devices. High-k MOS capacitors have been fabricated, analysed and irradiated and compared to a reference silicon dioxide MOS capacitor. Hafnium oxide and aluminium oxide were used for the dielectric layer, with Al and TiN used for the top electrode. C-V measurements indicated the high quality of the TiN = HfO2 =  Si structure in particular, with an interfacial equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) of less than half the total EOT of 1.9 nm. The TiN = HfO2 = Si capacitor showed superior capacitance and leakage current properties when compared to silicon dioxide capacitors verifying the successful fabrication of high quality, high-k MOS capacitors. The ionizng radiation results showed a voltage shift of less than 100 mV up to 3 Mrad(Si) for the TiN = HfO2 = Si capacitors. These radiation hardness levels are in the same order of magnitude as silicon dioxide structures. High-k dielectrics can therefore be used as a replacement for silicon dioxide gate oxides without decreasing the radiation hardness of the device, whilst simultaneously achieving reduced leakage current. Two types of TiN/HfOx/TiN resistive memory cells have been fabricated where the top 200 nm TiN electrode has been deposited by two different sputtering methods; reactive, using a titanium target in a nitrogen environment, and non-reactive, using a titanium nitride target. Characterization of the materials shows that the reactive TiN is singlephase stoichiometric TiN with a sheet resistance of 7Ω/square. The non-reactive TiN has a sheet resistance of 300Ω/square and was found to contain signifificant amounts of oxygen. The resistive switching behaviour differs for both memory cells. The reactive stoichiometric TiN device results in bipolar switching with a ROFF/RON ratio of 50. The non-reactive TiN results in unipolar switching with a ROFF/RON ratio of more than 103. These results show that an oxygen rich layer between the top electrode and insulator affects the ROFF value. It supports the theory of oxygen vacancies leading to the formation of conductive filaments. Resistive random access memory based on TiN/HfOx/TiN has been fabricated, with the stoichiometry of the HfOx layer altered through control of atomic layer deposition (ALD) temperature. Sweep and pulsed electrical characteristics were extracted before and after 60Co gamma irradiation. Monoclinic HfOx deposited at 400oC did not result in resistive switching. Deposition at 300oC and 350oC resulted in cubic HfOx which switched successfully. Both stoichiometric HfO2 and sub-oxides HfO2-x result in similar memory characteristics. All memory cells are shown to be radiation hard up to 10 Mrad(Si), independent of stoichiometry. Amorphous silicon carbide Cu/a-SiC/Au resistive memory cells are measured using the pulsed voltage technique and exhibit the highest Roff/Ron ratio recorded for any resistive memory. The switching kinetics are investigated and fitted to a numerical model, using thermal conductivity and resistivity properties of the dielectric. The SET mechanism of the Cu/a-SiC/Au memory cells is found to be due to ionic motion without thermal contributions, whereas the RESET mechanism is found to be due to thermally assisted ionic motion. The conductive filament diameter is extracted to be Φ~4 nm. The high thermal conductivity and resistivity for the Cu/a-SiC/Au memory cells result in slow switching but with high thermal reliability and stability, showing potential for use in harsh environments. Radiation properties of SiC memory cells were investigated. No change was seen in DC sweep or pulsed switching nor in conductive mechanisms, up to 2 Mrad(Si) using 60Co gamma irradiation. High-k metal gate MOS capacitors, valence change memory (VCM) and electrochemical metallization memory (ECM) cells have all shown high tolerance to ionizing radiation with negligible change seen in device parameters. This indicates that the radiation sensitive region within a memory circuit is the select device used to address the memory cell, such as transistors, and not the memory cell itself. In particular, within transistors, the gate oxide is essentially radiation hard, even when using high-k dielectrics, due to the thin layer. Therefore the areas within a circuit that are susceptible to ionizing radiation damage remain to be the buried oxides and isolation oxides.


The outer membrane proteins of Moraxella catarrhalis, a bacterial pathogen which causes disease in both children and adults, play an important role in its phenotypic properties. However, their proinflammatory potential with regard to respiratory epithelium and macrophages is unclear. To this end, we examined the cytokine- and mediator-inducing capacity of a heat-killed wild-type M. catarrhalis strain and a nonautoagglutinating mutant as well as their outer membrane proteins and secretory/excretory products using the A549 respiratory epithelial cell line. The outer membrane proteins and secretory/excretory products from both isolates as well as the heat-killed bacteria all induced interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and prostaglandin E2, but not IL-1beta, from the A549 cell line in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Heat-killed bacteria and secretory/excretory products stimulated the release of IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8 and prostaglandin E2 from human monocyte-derived macrophages. Both heat-killed isolates also stimulated nuclear translocation and transactivation of nuclear factor-kappaB. The heat-killed wild-type autoagglutinating isolate induced significantly greater amounts of IL-6 and IL-8 from A549 cells than the nonautoagglutinating mutant compared with the monocyte-derived macrophages but no significant differences in the amounts induced by the two strains were observed. These differences were also evident when the respiratory cell line was stimulated with outer membrane proteins as well as in the degree of nuclear factor-kappaB transactivation. There was little difference in the stimulatory activity of the secretory/excretory products. Sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analyses revealed some differences in the outer membrane proteins and secretory excretory products between the two isolates. Combined, these data show that M. catarrhalis secretory excretory products and outer membrane proteins are associated with the induction of inflammatory responses in both respiratory epithelium and macrophages.


Abstract The 'Macigno costiero' turbidite system characterized the oldest foredeep clastic wedge of the Northern Apennines during the Late Oligocene collisional phase. The cropping-out thickness is about 500 m. The features of the 'Macigno costiero' indicate a sand-rich, low-efficiency turbidite system. The system developed within a partially confined basin, which was part of a complex foredeep system. The stacking pattern of the turbidite system was determined through the analysis of facies and physical stratigraphy. It consists of a succession organized in sedimentary units, which are characterized by particular associations of facies linked to distinct depositional environments. Several architectural elements are seen: (1) unchannelized and channelized lobes; (2) distributary channels with channel-fill, overbank and channel-margin deposits; (3) main channel with channel-fill, channel-margin and interchannel deposits. Five turbidite stages were identified. From the bottom up they consist of four lobe stages and one proximal channel stage. The lobe stages are characterized by thickening-coarsening upward trends, from distal lobes to proximal lobes up to the channel-lobe transition zone. The uppermost, fifth stage is linked to a main channel complex with stacked channel-fill, channel-margin and interchannel deposits. This final stage also marks the maximum progradation of the system up to its closure due to the synsedimentary overthrusting of the orogenic wedge.


This article explores common political and social-psychological factors involved in acts of self-immolation that took place in Vietnam and South Korea in the later part of the 20th century. Drawing upon the pioneering work of Emile Durkheim, the author identifies some key analytical distinctions between altruistic suicide and cases of self-immolation. On the basis of suicide notes, diaries, and letters left behind by 22 self-immolators, the author sheds light on the intentions and beliefs of those actors and social significance of their acts. In addition to the unique geo-political circumstances of the Cold War era, under which massive numbers of dramatic public acts of self-immolation took place, the symbolic message imbedded in the acts of self-immolators is explored.


Although acoustic tracking has been used to study the movement of several species of clawed and spiny lobsters, only recent technological advances have provided sufficiently small transmitters to examine the utility of using acoustic tracking as a means to analyse the movement of relatively small spiny lobsters, such as Jasus lalandii. The effect of the transmitter on the mobility of J. lalandii was tested in aquarium experiments and was shown to have no influence on movement in three separate experiments. Thereafter, adult male rock lobsters (86–98mm carapace length) were tracked in field trials for up to 32 days at Betty's Bay (n = 4) and Hermanus (n = 5) off the Western Cape, South Africa. Tracking J. lalandii in the field using acoustic tags was successful, even in areas with dense kelp beds and rocky outcrops. The signal from the transmitters was readily detectable from the surface and subsequent use of underwater tracking equipment enabled visual confirmation of the position of the rock lobsters. Lobsters moved significantly longer distances (>45m day−1) in the first two days following tagging than during any subsequent time period (<10m day−1). This suggests that transmitter attachment and/or handling altered the movement pattern for the first 72 hours after tagging. During the period of observation, J. lalandii displayed classical nomadic behaviour.


Development of a multicellular organism is accomplished through a series of events that are preprogrammed in the genome. These events encompass cellular proliferation, lineage commitment, lineage progression, lineage expression, cellular inhibition, and regulated apoptosis. The sequential progression of cells through these events results in the formation of the differentiated cells, tissues, and organs that constitute an individual. Although most cells progress through this sequence during development, a few cells leave the developmental continuum to become reserve precursor cells. The reserve precursor cells are involved in the continual maintenance and repair of the tissues and organs throughout the life span of the individual. Until recently it was generally assumed that the precursor cells in postnatal individuals were limited to lineage-committed progenitor cells specific for various tissues. However, studies by Young, his colleagues, and others have demonstrated the presence of two categories of precursor cells that reside within the organs and tissues of postnatal animals. These two categories of precursor cells are lineage-committed (multipotent, tripotent, bipotent, and unipotent) progenitor cells and lineage-uncommitted pluripotent (epiblastic-like, ectodermal, mesodermal, and endodermal) stem cells. These reserve precursor cells provide for the continual maintenance and repair of the organism after birth.


As the manufacturing process is scaled down to the nanoscale, the aging phenomenon significantly affects the reliability and lifetime of integrated circuits. Consequently, the precise measurement of digital CMOS aging is a key aspect of nanoscale aging tolerant circuit design. This paper proposes a high accuracy digital aging monitor using phase-locked loop and voltage-controlled oscillator (PLL-VCO) circuit. The proposed monitor eliminates the circuit self-aging effect for the characteristic of PLL, whose frequency has no relationship with circuit aging phenomenon. The PLL-VCO monitor is implemented in TSMC low power 65 nm CMOS technology, and its area occupies 303.28 × 298.94 μm2. After accelerating aging tests, the experimental results show that PLL-VCO monitor improves accuracy about high temperature by 2.4% and high voltage by 18.7%.


In order to achieve cooperative driving in vehicular ad hoc networks (VANET), broadcast transmission is usually used for disseminating safety-related information among vehicles. Nevertheless, broadcast over multihop wireless networks poses many challenges due to link unreliability, hidden terminal, message redundancy, and broadcast storm, etc., which greatly degrade the network performance. In this paper, we propose a cross layer broadcast protocol (CLBP) for multihop emergency message dissemination in inter-vehicle communication systems. We first design a novel composite relaying metric for relaying node selection, by jointly considering the geographical locations, physical layer channel conditions, moving velocities of vehicles. Based on the designed metric, we then propose a distributed relay selection scheme to guarantee that a unique relay is selected to reliably forward the emergency message in the desired propagation direction.We further apply IEEE802.11e EDCA to guarantee QoS performance of safety related services. Finally, simulation results are given to demonstrate that CLBP can not only minimize the broadcast message redundancy, but also quickly and reliably disseminate emergency messages in a VANET.


A substantial proportion of all industrial compressors now produced are of the twin-screw type. These are rotary positive displacement machines, which operate at high efficiency over a wide range of speeds and pressure differences. Currently their performance is estimated by assuming simplified one-dimensional flow through passages with dimensions that are invariant with temperature and pressure. As manufacturing accuracy increases, clearances can be reduced and compressors thereby made smaller and more efficient. However to obtain full advantageo f this at the design stage,it must be possible to estimate accurately internal fluid flow patterns, pressure and temperature distribution and their effects on the working process. An interface has therefore been developed in order to generate a 3-D numerical grid for this purpose. This employs a procedure to produce rotor profiles and an analytical transfinite interpolation method with adaptive meshing to obtain a fully structured 3-D numerical mesh, which is directly transferable to a Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code. Robust calculations can then be performed while allowing for moving, stretching and sliding between the rotors with large variations in the chamber shape and proportions. Changes in the solver functions have improved convergence and increased the speed of solution. One of these is to include a means to maintain constant pressure within the inlet and outlet ports throughout the calculating procedure. Also, the CFD procedure has been modified to enable fast calculations to be made with real working fluids and to estimate two-phase flow effects due to phase change and oil injection in the working chamber. The interface, pre-processing code and calculating procedures have been used with a commercial CFD solver to estimate the performance of three different compressor applications. The predicted results for one of these were compared with those obtained from the author's measurement in an experimental test rig and good agreement was obtained.


Background: A special type of meniscal lesion involving the peripheral attachment of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus (PHMM), termed a "ramp lesion," is commonly associated with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. However, its treatment is still controversial. Recently, stable ramp lesions treated with abrasion and trephination alone have been shown to have good clinical outcomes after ACL reconstruction. Hypothesis: Stable ramp lesions treated with abrasion and trephination alone during ACL reconstruction will result in similar clinical outcomes compared with those treated with surgical repair. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: A prospective randomized controlled study was performed in 91 consecutive patients who had complete ACL injuries and concomitant stable ramp lesions of the medial meniscus. All patients were randomly allocated to 1 of 2 groups based on whether the stable ramp lesions were surgically repaired (study group; n = 50) or only abraded and trephined (control group; n = 41) during ACL reconstruction. All surgical procedures were performed by a single surgeon who was blinded to the functional assessment findings of the patients. The Lysholm score, subjective International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, and stability assessments (pivot-shift test, Lachman test, KT-1000 arthrometer side-to-side difference, and KT-1000 arthrometer differences of <3, 3-5, and >5 mm) were evaluated preoperatively and at the last follow-up. Moreover, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to evaluate the healing status of the ramp lesions. Results: All consecutive patients who were screened for eligibility from August 2008 to April 2012 were enrolled and observed clinically. There were 40 patients in the study group and 33 patients in the control group who were observed for at least 2 years. At the final follow-up, there were no significant differences between the study group and the control group in terms of the mean Lysholm score (88.7 ± 4.8 vs 90.4 ± 5.8, respectively; P = .528), mean subjective IKDC score (83.6 ± 3.7 vs 82.2 ± 4.5, respectively; P = .594), pivot-shift test results (P = .658), Lachman test results (P = .525), KT-1000 arthrometer side-to-side difference (1.6 ± 1.2 vs 1.5 ± 1.1, respectively; P = .853), or KT-1000 arthrometer grading (P = .738). Overall, for both groups (n = 73), 67 patients showed completely healed (38 study, 29 control), 3 showed partially healed (1 study, 2 control), and 3 showed nonhealed (1 study, 2 control) signals on follow-up MRI when evaluating the healing status of the ramp lesions. There was no significant difference regarding the healing status of the ramp lesions between the 2 groups (P = .543). Conclusion: This prospective randomized controlled trial showed that, in terms of subjective scores, knee stability, and meniscal healing status, concomitant stable ramp lesions of the medial meniscus treated with abrasion and trephination alone during ACL reconstruction resulted in similar clinical outcomes compared with those treated with surgical repair.


Cytochrome b561 is a major transmembrane protein of catecholamine and neuropeptide secretory vesicles. In this report, we describe the cloning and properties of a full-length cDNA encoding human neuroendocrine cytochrome b561 from a human caudate cDNA library and a human peripheral blood genomic library. The human cDNA contains two major transcription start sites and only one translation start site that codes for an apocytochrome b561, which is 22 amino acid residues smaller than the previously deduced amino acid sequence from bovine cDNA. This smaller version of cytochrome b561 may contain only five transmembrane segments rather than the previously proposed six segments. The new model is in agreement with our previous results on transmembrane topology of the gene product. Northern-blot analysis shows an expanded tissue distribution of cytochrome mRNA expression where previous immunological assays were negative. These results support the hypothesis that cytochrome b561 is a marker for peptidergic and adrenergic tissues.


Recent reports suggest beneficial effects of statin treatment on risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). This review studies the existing literature on statins and VTE: one meta-analysis, one randomized controlled trial, four cohort studies and eight case-control studies. The hypothesis of a risk reducing effect of statins on recurrent VTE is supported, but the included studies are heterogeneous; and there is a risk of uncontrolled confounding. Randomized clinical trials aimed at clarifying whether statins can prevent recurrent VTE or not are warranted.


Mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are a class of innate-like T cells that utilize a semi-invariant αβ T cell receptor to recognize small molecule ligands produced by bacteria and fungi. Despite growing evidence that immune cells at mucosal surfaces are often phenotypically and functionally distinct from those in the peripheral circulation, knowledge about the characteristics of MAIT cells at the lung mucosal surface, the site of exposure to respiratory pathogens, is limited. HIV infection has been shown to have a profound effect on the number and function of MAIT cells in the peripheral blood, but its effect on lung mucosal MAIT cells is unknown. We examined the phenotypic, functional, and transcriptomic features of MR1 restricted MAIT cells from the peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar compartments of otherwise healthy individuals with latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection who were either HIV uninfected or HIV infected. Peripheral blood MAIT cells consistently co-expressed typical MAIT cell surface markers CD161 and CD26 in healthy individuals, while paired bronchoalveolar MAIT cells displayed heterogenous expression of these markers. Bronchoalveolar MAIT cells produced lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokine IFN-γ and expressed higher levels of co-inhibitory markers PD-1 and TIM-3 than peripheral MAIT cells. HIV infection resulted in decreased frequencies and pro-inflammatory function of peripheral blood MAIT cells, while in the bronchoalveolar compartment MAIT cell frequency was decreased but phenotype and function were not significantly altered. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis demonstrated greater heterogeneity among bronchoalveolar compared to peripheral blood MAIT cells and suggested a distinct subset in the bronchoalveolar compartment. The transcriptional features of this bronchoalveolar subset were associated with atypical MAIT cells and tissue repair functions. In summary, we found previously undescribed phenotypic and transcriptional heterogeneity of bronchoalveolar MAIT cells in healthy people. In HIV infection, we found numeric depletion of MAIT cells in both anatomical compartments but preservation of the novel phenotypic and transcriptional features of bronchoalveolar MAIT cells.


This paper presents the concept and design of exhaustive-parallel search algorithm for Network-on-Chip. The proposed parallel algorithm searches minimal path between source and destination in a forward-wave-propagation manner. The algorithm guarantees setup latency if the setup path exists. A high performance switch is designed to support exhaustive-parallel search algorithm. The NoC fabric is designed for 8×8 mesh architecture and its performance is evaluated.


The need for the public health community to remain wary of corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy by companies associated with the tobacco industry was demonstrated at the World Cancer Congress hosted by the International Union Against Cancer (known by its French acronym UICC) in Washington DC in July. Snuggled within a session on ''The role of corporate citizens: Looking at the business community as volunteers'' was a presentation entitled ''The role of KPMG as a corporate citizen,'' during which the audience, numbering 60 or so cancer experts, were subjected to a glowing review of what the consultancy firm was ''giving back'' to society. KPMG International, a Swiss-based network of independent member firms, boasts 94 000 staff in 144 countries. Its long list of good works range from its Relay for Life fun runs to staff volunteering, with much of these funds raised given to cancer research. Such activities form part of KPMG's commitment to CSR, described on its website as ''Our commitment to transparency and integrity and our strong desire to make a positive difference to the world [as it reflects] the beliefs and actions of many of our clients''. What was not mentioned, however, was the longstanding relationship of KPMG with the tobacco industry. Acting as what Philip Morris calls Information Management Consultants, KPMG has been a long time advisor on such key issues as tobacco taxation, advertising restrictions, smoking bans, investment in emerging markets and, more recently, corporate social responsibility. In its 2004 annual report, KPMG cited its ''strong relationships with such leading companies as Philip Morris. These highly respected companies placed their confidence in KPMG, trusting us to provide the insights and dedication necessary to meet their changing needs''. One of those changing needs is CSR. Internal tobacco industry documents describe how, as British American Tobacco (BAT) was developing its strategy to gain ''air cover'' from public criticism through social reporting, KPMG expressed that it was ''keen to work with BAT'' in ''repositioning tobacco manufacturers as socially responsible''. KPMG had already played a key role in developing the CSR strategy for Philip Morris. Two questions are raised regarding engagement by the public health community with CSR. First, there is a need for more critical debate within and beyond the public health community on the rapid proliferation of CSR initiatives, which are diverse in both their content and intent. CSR is, in large, about improved transparency and accountability by the corporate sector. KPMG's own Transparency Report and Global Code of Conduct focus on ''performance with integrity'' based on ''core values'' of ''The KPMG Way''. Among its stated commitments are ''Observing rigorous standards of client and engagement acceptance'' and ''Preserving KPMG's brand and reputation by avoiding actions that would discredit the organization.'' How, therefore, does KPMG reconcile these aspirations with its major role in advising the world's largest tobacco companies on fighting tobacco control efforts and expanding within emerging markets? Second, within the context of the World Cancer Congress, which purposefully overlapped with the World Conference on Tobacco OR Health to draw attention to the role of tobacco in cancer morbidity and mortality, the invitation extended to KPMG was puzzling. To what extent was it appropriate for an organisation with such a close affiliation to the tobacco industry to be provided with a platform by the UICC to present its CSR credentials? KPMG provides extensive services to the tobacco industry including research and policy advice directly intended to counter tobacco control efforts. From the perspective of KPMG, providing such services could perhaps be considered offset by its laudable contributions to raising significant funds for the American Cancer Society (ACS). The ACS, the main organiser of the World Cancer Congress this year, seems to think so too, awarding its first annual Eugene O'Kelly Award to Recognise Service, Volunteerism to KPMG as ''a respected industry leader and advocate in the fight against cancer''. The award is named after the former CEO of KPMG who died of cancer in 2005. Allowing a firm with such extensive tobacco industry affiliations to present its CSR credentials to a world conference on cancer, however, clearly warrants wider debate within the public health community.


ventrally incomplete, first the left sided part is opened and dissected of the urethra until the level of the dorsal "tunnel". This procedure is repeated on the right side. After threading a vessel loop through the dorsal tunnel, both parts are removed, leaving the dorsal tunnel intact. Any urethral defect is now reconstructed and a Martius flap is pulled through the tunnel and wrapped around the urethra. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical excision of near-circular female urethral diverticulum leaving a short dorsal tunnel in situ, followed by circular urethral wrap with Martius flap, minimizes damage to the rhabdosphincter which is thickest dorsally. The Martius flap pullthrough plugs the dorsal tunnel and in this way prevents recurrence. The vascularized Martius flap supports the urethral reconstruction and serves as bulk material in case a fascia sling would be necessary in the presence of de novo stress incontinence.


In a desert city such as Phoenix, summertime heat is a way of life, but how much does the built environment contribute to the intensity of the heat on a summer night? In urbanized Phoenix, nights don't cool down as much as in the surrounding rural areas and on more and more summer nights, the official Phoenix temperature fails to drop below 90 degrees. Climate plays a huge role in the comfort and quality of life of residents, with numerous implications for tourism, energy demand, water use, and the vulnerability of low-income families. While experts agree that climate change will cause temperatures to rise in the southwestern United States, the growing urban heat island (UHI) is already challenging the livability of the Phoenix metropolitan area by raising temperatures in the urban core.


Many water authorities own water mains that date to the beginning of the last century. As these assets begin to reach the end of their useful lives, failures are becoming increasingly more common. With only limited financial resources available, water authorities are faced with the challenge of whether to repair or replace damaged water mains. A useful decision making tool in this area is a water main failure prediction model.
ActewAGL is a water utility operating and maintaining the water supply network in the ACT for the asset owner Actew Corporation. The network consists of in excess of 3000 kilometres of water mains and services approximately 360,000 customers. Although not currently considered a
problem, the water main failure rate in the ACT appears to be on the rise. Therefore, Actew recognizes the need to better understand the causes of water main failures and to be proactive in developing policies to most efficiently deal with the effects of failure.
The objective of this study was to investigate the methods, parameters and theory used in existing water main failure models and to use these findings to develop a customised water main failure prediction model taking into account limitations with the type and quality of water main failure data available.As a result of this study a number of recommendations were made for further work in order to improve Actew's ability to monitor system performance and predict water main failures. These are as follows.
• Compile historical failure records into a central water main failure database and add links to the GIS and asset management systems.
• Incorporate physical parameters into water main failure data collection processes.
• Conduct further testing, validation and improvement of the multivariate statistical models developed in this study.
• Conduct preliminary investigations into the development of a physically based water main failure prediction model


This paper presents a study of the efficiency of resource brokering in a computational grid constructed for CPU and data intensive scientific analysis. Real data is extracted from the logging records of an in-use resource broker relating to the running of Monte Carlo simulation jobs, and compared to detailed modeling of job processing in a grid system. This analysis uses performance indicators relating to how efficiently the jobs are run, as well as how effectively the available computational resources are being utilized. In the case of a heavily loaded grid, the delays incurred at different stages of brokering and scheduling are studied, in order to determine where the bottlenecks appear in this process. The performance of different grid setups is tested, for instance, homogeneous and heterogeneous resource distribution, and varying numbers of resource brokers. The importance of the speed of the grid information services (IS) is also investigated.


The study of systems composed of interacting components through their representation as graphs is attracting a growing attention in a wide variety of domains. A modular structure characterizes many of these systems, that means that they contain subgroups of entities sharing some common properties. Therefore, a topic of particular interest is the identification of modules, called clusters or communities. The problem can be formulated using mathematical programming, where the idea is to optimize a function expressing the quality of the clustering partition. The most studied of these functions is the so-called modularity. We consider modularity maximization, formulated as a mixed-integer quadratic optimization problem that has a convex continuous relaxation. We address the problem of combining different clustering criteria and the corresponding impact on the optimization problem. Defining a good clustering criterion is in fact difficult. On the one hand, quality functions to be optimized have been proposed, and on the other hand, properties to be satisfied by each cluster of a partition have been suggested. It has recently been observed that one of the best known such properties, i.e., the weak condition [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2004] was not satised by one or more clusters in a partition which maximizes some of the best known criteria. We consider five cluster-defining conditions, that we call cohesion conditions (including the weak one). We then modify the modularity optimization problem to add these conditions, one at a time, as constraints. These can be expressed as linear constraints (applying, for one of the considered conditions, a Fortet's linearization). Then, the obtained optimization models are still mixed-integer quadratic optimization problems that we solve by exact methods. We thus discuss the solution of the new models that enable to understand the impact of cohesion conditions on modularity maximization.


Abstract The intrauterine environment and early-life nutrition are regulated by maternal biomarkers in the blood and breast milk. We aimed to explore epigenetic modifications that may contribute to differential chemerin expression in maternal plasma, colostrum, and breast milk and find its association with fetal cord blood and infant weight at 6 weeks postpartum. Thirty-three gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) mothers and 33 normoglycemic mothers (NGT) were recruited. Two maternal blood samples (28th week of gestation and 6 weeks postpartum), cord blood, colostrum, and mature milk were collected. Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were conducted. The weight of the babies was measured at birth and 6 weeks postpartum. Serum chemerin levels at the 28th gestational week and 6 weeks postpartum were significantly lower for the NGT group as compared to the GDM group; (P < 0.05). Higher colostrum chemerin concentrations were observed in the GDM group and remained elevated in mature milk as compared to NGT (P < 0.05). Colostrum and breast milk chemerin levels showed an independent association with infant weight at 6 weeks postpartum (r = 0.270; P = 0.034) (r = 0.464; P < 0.001). Forty percent GDM mothers expressed unmethylated chemerin reflecting increased chemerin concentration in the maternal blood. This pattern was also observed in newborn cord blood where 52% of samples showed unmethylated chemerin in contrast to none in babies born to normoglycemic mothers. The results of this study highlight the critical importance of altered chemerin regulation in gestational diabetic mothers and its effect during early life period and suggest a possible role in contributing to childhood obesity.


Asparaginyl-tRNA (Asn-tRNA) and glutaminyl-tRNA (Gln-tRNA) are essential components of protein synthesis. They can be formed by direct acylation by asparaginyl-tRNA synthetase (AsnRS) or glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase (GlnRS). The alternative route involves transamidation of incorrectly charged tRNA. Examination of the preliminary genomic sequence of the radiation-resistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans suggests the presence of both direct and indirect routes of Asn-tRNA and Gln-tRNA formation. Biochemical experiments demonstrate the presence of AsnRS and GlnRS, as well as glutamyl-tRNA synthetase (GluRS), a discriminating and a nondiscriminating aspartyl-tRNA synthetase (AspRS). Moreover, both Gln-tRNA and Asn-tRNA transamidation activities are present. Surprisingly, they are catalyzed by a single enzyme encoded by three ORFs orthologous to Bacillus subtilis gatCAB. However, the transamidation route to Gln-tRNA formation is idled by the inability of the discriminating D. radiodurans GluRS to produce the required mischarged Glu-tRNAGln substrate. The presence of apparently redundant complete routes to Asn-tRNA formation, combined with the absence from the D. radiodurans genome of genes encoding tRNA-independent asparagine synthetase and the lack of this enzyme in D. radiodurans extracts, suggests that the gatCAB genes may be responsible for biosynthesis of asparagine in this asparagine prototroph.


Codes over various metrics such as Rosenbloom-Tsfasman (RT), Lee, etc. have been considered. Recently, codes over poset metrics have been studied. Poset metric is a great generalization of many metrics especially the well-known ones such as the RT and the Hamming metrics. Poset metric can be realized on the channels with localized error occurrences. It has been shown that MacWilliams identities are not admissible for codes over poset metrics in general [Kim and Oh, 2005]. Lately, to overcome this problem some further studies on MacWilliams identities over poset metrics has been presented. In this paper, we introduce new poset level weight enumerators of linear codes over Frobenius commutative rings. We derive MacWilliams-type identities for each of the given enumerators which generalize in great deal the previous results discussed in the literature. Most of the weight enumerators in the literature such as Hamming, Rosenbloom-Tsfasman and complete m-spotty weight enumerators follow as corollaries to these identities especially.


Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC

Objective. Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecological cancers in the Western world [1]. The overall 5-year survival is only 30% [2], which is for a significant part due to platinum-based chemotherapy resistance. In this study, we performed a pathway analysis on nine published gene-sets associated with platinum resistance in ovarian cancer, including a study by us. With this exploratory study, we aim to identify overlapping pathways associated with platinum-based chemotherapy resistance mechanisms in ovarian cancer.

Methods A Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) was performed to determine which functional processes were differentially represented in the combined gene-lists of nine studies (457 genes) compared to all Unigene identifiers or the Ingenuity knowledge base.

Results. The GO and IPA analysis resulted in the generation of 23 gene networks, and showed that 13 GO processes (>=2 times enriched), 71 canonical pathways (p<0.05,), eight toxicity pathways (p<.05) and 74 biological functions (p<0.005) are significantly associated with the 9-study gene set.

Conclusion and recommendations. Several pathways identified have previously been shown to be associated with therapy resistance: these include 'oxidative stress response mediated by Nrf2', 'TP53 signaling' and 'TGFbeta signaling'. The role of TGFbeta signalling as well as related miRNAs identified in the network analysis in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness as well as the possible relation with platin-based chemotherapy resistance is further discussed in detail.

We propose that future international cooperation should aim at a uniform pooled-analysis of the wealth of ovarian cancer array data already available. This will enhance the power of each separate ovarian cancer study and can lead to promising results.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 411.


Objectives: In this paper, various physical and mechanical properties of egg shell powder filled hybrid composites have been found. Methods/Analysis: Different types of composites have been fabricated using 5 wt% egg shell powder and 10 wt% egg shell powder with 50 wt% fiber, rest matrix material. The composites were fabricated by hand-layup process. Specimens were cut and tested according to ASTM standards. Findings: All composite with filler material exhibited better tensile strength than unfilled composites. Adding filler material might have resulted in restriction of propagation of crack and delamination. The shape and size of egg shell powder was the fine-tuning factor. The rate of burning of the composites at any given filler particle size decreased with increase in filler contents. Novelty/Improvement: The cost of egg shell powder fillers is less than that of the polyester matrix. The use of egg shell powder as fillers for the plastic industry will not only provide a renewable source of filler for the plastic industry but also generate a non - food source of economic development for the famers in the rural areas.


Aerodynamic gun impact test is carried out to investigate sandwich beam with metallic skin and Nomex honeycomb core damage mechanism and failure behaviour. Details of the deformation and damage progression within the sandwich beam are observed in particular. The comparisons between the two kinds of specimen with different thickness skins clearly show that the difference in the impact energy consumed in global bending deformation and the localized indentation. Theoretical elastic bending stiffness of the sandwich beam with thicker skins is approximately 2.26 times greater than that of sandwich beam with thinner skins.


This work presents our latest achievements in the development of advanced composite scintillators for simultaneous registration of α-particles and γ-quanta in mixed ionizing fluxes based on single crystalline films (SCFs) of Tb3Al3O12 : Ce (TbAG : Ce) garnet and Gd3Al2.5Ga2.5O12 : Ce (GAGG : Ce) single crystal (SC) substrates using the liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) growth method from a melt-solution based on a PbO–B2O3 flux. The separation of the signals from the SCF and SC components of such composite scintillators can be realized by means of registration of the difference in the scintillation decay times of SCF and substrate scintillators and can be achieved at a large K = t(SCF)/t(SC) ratio, which is usually above 2. The TbAG : Ce SCFs exhibit relatively fast scintillation response under α-particle excitation with decay times of t1/e = 344–380 ns and t1/100 = 3130–3770 ns. Meanwhile, the scintillation response of TbAG : Ce SCFs under α-particle excitation is significantly slower in the 500–4000 ns range than that of the GAGG : Ce crystals with decay times of t1/e = 270–280 ns and t1/20 = 1280–1300 ns. We have found that for TbAG : Ce/GAGG : Ce composite scintillators, the optimal K ratio changes from 2.0 to 3.0 at the registration of scintillations with shaping times of 700–4000 ns. For this reason, TbAG : Ce/GAGG : Ce composite scintillators possess the best scintillation properties among all known LPE grown analogues for simultaneous registration of α-particles and γ-quanta in mixed fluxes.


The addition of saccharin to nickel electroplating process as an additive is useful for refining the grain size of nickel deposit on the substrate. The addition of saccharin will produce nanocrystalline nickel layer. The reduction of crystallite size will be affected to mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of substrate. In previous studies, it is known that the addition of saccharin will decreasing the crystallite size as well as increasing the hardness. In this study will be focus about the behavior of corrosion with the addition of saccharin as an additive in the process of electroplating nickel on SPCC. The electroplating of nickel process is carried out at the acidity level of 5 for 20 minutes by keeping the operating temperature stable at 50°C. The current density used at 6 A / cm2. Within the addition of saccharin will cause changes in grain size of 165 to 35 nm. The decrease of grain size will increasing corrosion resistance in SPCC. The highest corrosion resistance is found in Ni-plating with the addition of saccharin as much as10 g / L with corrosion rate of 3.25 μA cm-2 and resistance polarization (Rp) of 5.74 kΩ cm-2. While the non-plating steel has the highest corrosion rate of 11 μA cm-2 with the lower polarization resistance of 1.15 kΩ cm-2.


We analyze the response of different ionospheric equivalent current modes to variations in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) components By and Bz. Each mode comprises a fixed spatial pattern whose amplitude varies in time, identified by a month‐by‐month empirical orthogonal function separation of surface measured magnetic field variance. Here we focus on four sets of modes that have been previously identified as DPY, DP2, NBZ, and DP1. We derive the cross‐correlation function of each mode set with either IMF By or Bz for lags ranging from −10 to +600 mins with respect to the IMF state at the bow shock nose. For all four sets of modes, the average correlation can be reproduced by a sum of up to three linear responses to the IMF component, each centered on a different lag. These are interpreted as the statistical ionospheric responses to magnetopause merging (15‐ to 20‐min lag) and magnetotail reconnection (60‐min lag) and to IMF persistence. Of the mode sets, NBZ and DPY are the most predictable from a given IMF component, with DP1 (the substorm component) the least predictable. The proportion of mode variability explained by the IMF increases for the longer lags, thought to indicate conductivity feedbacks from substorms. In summary, we confirm the postulated physical basis of these modes and quantify their multiple reconfiguration timescales.


Abstract The conventional literature on the role of middle powers emphasises the importance of soft power, niche diplomacy and coalition building. This article explores a case of unusual middle power activism with a focus on recent Turkish foreign policy behaviour. It demonstrates how the interaction of domestic politics and external dynamics produced an unusual degree of foreign policy activism, going well beyond conventional middle power behaviour, with the government increasingly employing coercive diplomacy and militaristic methods. We demonstrate that unusual middle power activism in a shifting international order yielded 'populist dividends' to the ruling elite in the short run but led to a 'triple governance crisis' in the economy, politics and foreign policy, with each element feeding into the others in a path-dependent fashion.


The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Self-Policing Policy (more commonly referred to as the Audit Policy) waives or reduces penalties when regulated entities voluntarily discover, disclose, and correct environmental violations. This study draws upon a rational choice model of corporate crime to determine if traditional regulatory efforts such as inspections and enforcement actions are associated with the odds of disclosing an environmental violation under the Audit Policy. A case control design is used to compare companies that self-police to companies that do not self-police. The event group consists of all 551 companies that disclosed at least one environmental violation under the Audit Policy between October 1, 1998 and September 30, 2000. The control group consists of a simple random sample of 551 companies that did not use the Audit Policy but were discovered to have violated at least one environmental law during the same time period as the event group. There is no evidence that inspections and enforcement increase Audit Policy use. However, the results do suggest, first, that the Audit Policy is more likely to be used by large companies than by small companies and, second, that it is likely to be used for reporting violations as opposed to more serious emissions or permit violations. In terms of public policy these findings suggest that regulatory agencies such as the EPA can do relatively little to increase the self-policing of environmental violations.


This paper mainly studied on using activated sludge process with zeolite to upgrade the traditional secondary treatment plants. In this process, zeolite acted as ammonian sorbent and microbial carrier firstly, and then composed zeolite and biological complex to improve denitrification of anaerobic zone and nitrification of oxic zone. In the anaerobic zone, the influent contained a lot higher ammonian concentration. The zeolite adsorbed ammonian, it increased carbon nitrogen ratio and facilitated denitrification. While in the oxic zone, adsorbate concentration of mixed liquid decreased owing to biodegra dation by the action of salinity and microorganism. Thus, it striked a balance between adsorption and desorption of zeolite with ammonium, and zeolite with ammonium released constantly ammonian to renew.


The objective of this project was to design a visual feedback attachment for the Coblator II, tonsil and adenoid removal device. Currently, one device is used to perform both cauterization and ablation, controlled by two pedals outside of the field of view. A device is needed that distinguishes between the two functions visually within the field of view. This will be attached to the tray table that is used during the surgical procedure. It will feature two different colored lights, blue and yellow, and be disposable or have a special cover that is able to be replaced between each patient's procedure. In addition to this, there will be a slight delay between when the light is initially illuminated and the function begins, as an extra safety precaution.


Background: Bangladesh is possibly unique in that many different traditional medicinal systems are present like Ayurveda, Unani, homeopathy, and folk medicine. The objective of the present study was to document the novel therapeutic practices of a folk medicinal practitioner (FMP) in Nilphamari district, who used a combination of phytotherapy and zootherapy practices, and whose formulations further included his own modifications of standard Ayurvedic formulations.
Methods and findings: Interviews of the FMP regarding his ethnomedicinal practices were carried out with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method from August 2016 till February 2017. The FMP used a total of 44 plants distributed into 29 families in his formulations. The total number of formulations used was 25 for treatment of a diverse group of ailments like respiratory tract disorders, eye disorders, filariasis, diabetes, weakening of immune system, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, tuberculosis, heart disorders, puerperal fever, and jaundice. The FMP also used parts from seven animals (fish, insect, bird – all are classified as animal) alone or in conjunction with plants in his treatment. Conclusions: The FMP used a number of plants in his treatment, the ethnomedicinal uses of which plants being hitherto not reported from Bangladesh. The combination of phytotherapy and zootherapy is unique as well as modifications of Ayurvedic formulations, and if scientifically validated, may prove useful for treatment of a number of diseases. Overall, the FMP's treatment methods merit further scientific attention especially towards development of an effective method to treat diabetes, hypertension, and filariasis.


Importance The effect of IV administration of a bacteriophage cocktail produced under GMP conditions on patients with severe S. aureus infection, including complicated bacteraemia, endocarditis and septic shock, is unknown. Objective To assess safety and tolerability of adjunctive bacteriophage therapy in patients with severe S. aureus infections. Design, Setting, Participants Observational, open-label clinical trial of thirteen critically-ill patients admitted to a tertiary-referral hospital with S. aureus bacteraemia (including infective endocarditis, n=6) were assessed by the treating clinician and two consulting infectious diseases physicians to independently verify that routine medical and surgical therapy was optimal and that a poor outcome remained likely. Compassionate access to therapy was approved by both US and Australian regulators and by the Westmead Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee. Intervention A GMP-quality preparation of three combined Myoviridae bacteriophages with specific activity against S. aureus (AB-SA01), was administered intravenously in conjunction with optimal antibiotic therapy. Main Outcome and Measurements Physiological, haematological and biochemical markers of infection, bacterial and bacteriophage kinetics in blood, development of resistance to bacteriophages, and mortality at 28 (D28) and 90 (D90) days were measured. Main outcomes were safety and tolerability. Results Bacteriophage therapy was initiated 4-10 days after antibiotic commencement, at 109 plaque-forming units (PFU) twice daily. Infecting staphylococci were typical of common local subtypes. Initial input ratio of phages to bacteria in the bloodstream (MOIinput) was >100. Five of the thirteen patients died by D28 and a sixth patient suffered sudden cardiac death on D90. Bacteriophage therapy coincided with a marked reduction in staphylococcal bacterial DNA in the blood and in sepsis-associated inflammatory responses in almost all cases. No bacteriophage-attributable adverse events were identified. Development of bacteriophage resistance was not observed. Population analysis revealed no significant effect of bacteriophage therapy on the gut microflora. Conclusions and Relevance Adjunctive bacteriophage therapy appears to be safe and well-tolerated in critically ill patients with severe S. aureus infection. Two weeks of twice daily intravenous administration may be a suitable protocol. Controlled trials are needed. Trial Registration Westmead Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee approval July 11, 2017; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03395769, AB-SA01-EAP01 (January 10, 2018); Clinical Trials Notification (Australian Therapeutic Goods Association): CT-2018-CTN-02372-1 (July 23, 2018). Key Points Question Is intravenous (IV) administration of investigational bacteriophage (phage) therapy safe and well-tolerated in patients with severe Staphylococcus aureus infection? Findings Thirteen patients with severe S. aureus infections received AB-SA01, a bacteriophage product prepared according to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), as adjunctive therapy to antibiotics. AB-SA01 was well-tolerated with no adverse events identified. Bacterial burden and inflammatory responses were reduced and no phage-resistant staphylococci were isolated during or after therapy. Meaning Our results will inform future randomised controlled trials assessing the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory potential of bacteriophages in the treatment of severe S. aureus infection.


Summary 1. Among saproxylic beetles, many early colonizers prefer particular host species. Ranking of preferred hosts of local saproxylic beetle communities is critical for effective dead-wood management in forests, but is rarely done because experiments with numerous tree species are labour and cost intensive. 2. We analysed the host preference of local saproxylic beetle communities on logs of 13 tree species in relation to management (unmanaged and managed beech stands, conifer plantations on natural beech sites) in three regions of Germany during the most critical period for host specificity, that is the first two years after harvesting. Hosts were ranked quantitatively based on the ordinal ranking of hosts by single beetle species, which in turn was based on the variation in beetle abundance. First, we employed a Bradley–Terry model in which ranking was derived from paired comparisons of host trees. Then, a model-based recursive partitioning of the Bradley–Terry model tested whether host preference of beetle communities is affected by stand management, region and decay progress of dead wood. 3. Our results indicated that beetle communities overall avoided logs of Fraxinus, Pseudotsuga, Larix and Tilia, and Carpinus ranked highest in preference. Carpinus also ranked highest for communities of broadleaf specialists; Picea abies ranked highest for communities of conifer specialists. Model-based recursive partitioning revealed that ranking of local hosts in conifer stands differed from that of broadleaf stands, and that ranking of hosts in broadleaf stands differed between regions, but only in the first year for both. 4. Synthesis and applications. Early-colonizing saproxylic beetle communities vary locally in their choice of host trees. Therefore, forest managers should focus on the enrichment of dead wood of regional tree species and tree species of the local stand to successfully promote earlycolonizing beetle.


… Objective: To study the variations in anthropometric parameters of the adult human femora including total length, shaft length, the angle anteversion and neck shaft angle in femur of Pakistani origin. Study Design: Descriptive Correlational. Setting: Department of Anatomy, Rawalpindi Medical University. Period: April, 2022 to June, 2022. Material & Methods: Eighty femora of undetermined gender and age were selected from the bone bank of Anatomy Department, Rawalpindi Medical University (RMU). Measuring tape was used to measure length and goniometer was used to measure angles. Results: Thirty five bones were of right side and 45 of the left. The total femur length was 43.75±3.01 cm and the femur shaft length were 30.21±2.54 cm. There was no significant difference between the two sides. The mean neck shaft angle was 128.79±5.05 degrees with no difference between the sides. The mean angle of anteversion was 16.43±5.14 degrees with a significantly greater angle on the right compared to the left side (p=0.028). Conclusion: In Pakistani Femur there is no significant difference in the total, shaft lengths and neck shaft angles on the right and left sides. This bilateral symmetry shows synchronization which is important for posture and movement. However, the Angle of Femoral Neck Anteversion is significantly greater on the right as compared to the left. Also, this angle is less than reported in African and more than reported in American and European population


A. Gay Fathers: "Maternal" Motivations to Become a Parent The first indication that gay fathers may be disrupting sex stereotypes surrounding parenting comes from research suggesting that gay men may, like women, be more likely than heterosexual men to have a strong desire to become parents in the first instance. As Judith Stacey notes, "men's biological procreative disadvantage represents a significant barrier to gender equity" in terms of "pursuing parenthood solo," but this barrier "is one that gay men appear more motivated than their heterosexual counterparts to hurdle." (92) She writes that "[c]ontemporary openly gay paternity, which by definition is never accidental, requires the determined efforts of at least one gay man [with a] passion for parenthood.... A man, that is, whose parental desire might more accurately be understood as maternal than as paternal." (93) If this is indeed true, perhaps it is unsurprising to find that, as compared to heterosexual fathers, gay fathers are also "reported to have greater satisfaction with their first child." (94) In addition, "evidence suggests that straight men are disproportionately less likely than gay men ... to regard full-time, at-home parenting as their calling." (95) Although describing a strong urge to become a parent as a "maternal" characteristic risks reinforcing the stereotype that women, unlike men, possess a "maternal instinct" that drives their desire to bear children, (96) Stacey's observation can be understood to suggest that gay fathers disrupt the corollary stereotype which posits that men do not desire to become parents with the same fervor as do women. B. Gay Fathers: More "Feminine" / Less "Traditionally Masculine" Parenting Behaviors Research conducted by a number of scholars suggests that gay fathers disrupt sex stereotypes in parenting by behaving in a manner that is more "feminine," or at least not as "masculine," as that of their heterosexual counterparts. Raymond Scallen describes one study conducted by Bozett in 1980 as finding that gay fathers "emphasiz[e] the expressive nature of the parent-child interaction." (97) Scallen concludes from his own study as well that "gay fathers may be described as more committed [than heterosexual fathers] to a view of nurturance as an important aspect of their fathering." (98) He defines nurturance as "an expressive, active, caretaking interest in the child," a "role dimension" that has traditionally been "considered the province of the maternal role." While noting that the heterosexual fathers he surveyed in the early 1980s were also more likely than heterosexual fathers of previous decades to engage in expressive, nurturing behavior, he found that the gay fathers were particularly "more nurturant" than the heterosexual fathers surveyed. (99) Along similar lines, a 1989 study by Bigner and Jacobsen found that "gay fathers are ... more sensitive and responsive to the perceived needs of [their] children than nongay fathers." (100) More recent studies have also noted the absence of masculine parenting behavior among gay fathers. For example, Biblarz and Stacey report that gay male co-parents "do not provide a double dose of "masculine' parenting," but rather "appear to adopt parenting practices more 'feminine' than do typical heterosexual fathers." As evidence of this claim, they cite studies conducted in 2000 and 2006 which found that "when two gay men coparented, they did so in ways that seem[ed] closer, [albeit] not identical, to that of two lesbian women than to a heterosexual woman and man." (101) Similarly, Benson, Silverstein, and Auerbach argue that some gay men have "transform[ed] the fathering role in American culture" (102) by creating a "new, culturally progressive definition of fathering [that] includes behaviors that were formerly thought of as mothering." (103) They observe, as did Scallen, that both heterosexual and gay fathers have increased their sense of emotional closeness to their children as compared to heterosexual fathers of past generations, but report that the heterosexual fathers in their study were "still not as close to their children as their wives were" whereas approximately one-third of the gay fathers displayed a: [L]evel of intimacy . …


February 2019 ABSTRACT Mathematics refers to the material which has abstract object and is built on deductive reasoning processes, covering the truth of a concept obtained as a logical consequence of previous accepted truths. To be easily understood by students, deductive reasoning processes on mathematics learning is used to strengthen the understanding that students already have. The purpose of learning mathematics is to train how to think systematically, logically, critically, creatively and consistently. This research was based on the several problems: (a) What is the improvement of students' learning achievement by implementing TGT cooperative learning method? (b) What is the effect of TGT cooperative learning method on students' learning motivation? While the objectives of this study were: (a) Finding out the increase on students' learning achievement after the implementation of TGT cooperative learning method. (b) Knowing the effect of students' learning motivation after TGT model of cooperative learning was applied. This research used action research as many as three cycles. Each cycle consisted of four stages, they were: design, activity and observation, reflection, and refining. The targets of this research were the students of class XI IPA4 at SMAN 3 Jember. The data obtained were in the form of formative test results, observation sheets of teaching and learning activities. It can be concluded that TGT model cooperative method had positive effect on the students' learning motivation in understanding the material concept of opportunities so that they were able to achieve maximum learning achievement and this learning model is also capable to be used as an alternative mathematics learning so that the teachers can convey mathematical material concepts and absorbed by the students more ffectively


Growth cones navigate axonal projection in response to guidance cues. However, it is unclear how they can decide the migratory direction by transducing the local spatial cues into protrusive forces. Here we show that knockout mice of Shootin1 display abnormal projection of the forebrain commissural axons, a phenotype similar to that of the axon guidance molecule netrin-1. Shallow gradients of netrin-1 elicited highly polarized Pak1-mediated phosphorylation of shootin1 within growth cones. We demonstrate that netrin-1–elicited shootin1 phosphorylation increases shootin1 interaction with the cell adhesion molecule L1-CAM; this, in turn, promotes F-actin–adhesion coupling and concomitant generation of forces for growth cone migration. Moreover, the spatially regulated shootin1 phosphorylation within growth cones is required for axon turning induced by netrin-1 gradients. Our study defines a mechano-effector for netrin-1 signaling and demonstrates that shootin1 phosphorylation is a critical readout for netrin-1 gradients that results in a directional mechanoresponse for axon guidance.


Using the z-scan technique, we have measured the self-induced absorptive and refractive nonlinear behavior of hot atomic rubidium vapor within the Doppler profile of the D2 line. We observe large nonlinear amplitude and phase effects with only tens of microwatts of incident power. Our results are in good agreement with numerical calculations based on an analytic model of a Doppler-broadened two-level system.


To enhance the performance of CPU, Many scheduling approaches are used to get maximum throughput in terms of scheduling the processes, waiting in the ready queue in minimum waiting time. This paper presents the genetic algorithm approach to provide the optimal solution for scheduling the processes and compares the results with other traditional scheduling algorithms. CPU scheduling is an NP hard problem. Genetic algorithm provides the optimal solution to these NP hard problems. These algorithms handle a population of possible solutions and the selection of these solutions is based on the fitness function. Crossover & other operators are used to generate new population.


AIMS
To examine person-specific urge-to-smoke trajectories during the first 7 days of abstinence and the relationship of trajectory parameters to continuous abstinence, demographics, medication and smoking history.

DESIGN
Hierarchical linear modeling was used to model person-specific trajectories for urge-to-smoke.

SETTING
Two university-based smoking cessation trials.

PARTICIPANTS
Treatment-seeking smokers in a clinical trial of transdermal nicotine (n = 275) versus nicotine spray (n = 239) and of bupropion (n = 223) versus placebo (n = 198).

MEASUREMENTS
Self-reported urge-to-smoke for 7 days after the planned quit date, and 7-day point prevalence and continuous abstinence at end of treatment (EOT) and 6 months.

FINDINGS
Urge-to-smoke trajectory parameters (average level, slope, curvature and volatility) varied substantially among individuals, had modest intercorrelations and predicted continuous and point prevalence abstinence at EOT and at 6 months. Higher trajectory level, slope and volatility were all significantly (P ≤ 0.001) associated with a reduced likelihood of abstinence at EOT (odds ratios 0.44-0.75) and at 6-month follow-up (odds ratios from 0.63 to 0.78), controlling for demographic, medication and smoking use variables.

CONCLUSION
Higher urge-to-smoke trajectory parameters of level, slope and volatility (measured over 7 days) predict continuous and 7-day point prevalence at EOT and 6 months. Although there were some associations of trajectory parameters with demographics and smoking history, the associations of trajectory parameters with relapse were relatively uninfluenced by demographics and smoking history.


INTRODUCTION
Losses in muscle mass and strength may affect an astronaut's safety; therefore, it is of utmost importance to optimize countermeasures to minimize atrophy and strength loss during spaceflight. The main purpose of this study was to determine if high force eccentric or isometric contractions performed by the plantar flexor group during hind limb suspension would preserve muscle mass and strength.

METHODS
Plantar flexor muscles of mice were trained with either eccentric or isometric contractions every other day during a 10-d hind limb suspension period. Pre- and post-suspension stimulation frequency- and angular velocity-dependent measurements of torque of the plantar flexors, soleus twitch (Pt) and tetanic (Po) force, bodyweight, and muscle wet weight measurements were made.

RESULTS
The 19 and 26% losses in gastrocnemius and soleus muscle wet weights, respectively, were not attenuated with eccentric or isometric contractions. Neither eccentric nor isometric contractions attenuated the soleus muscle's 30% isometric force loss after hind limb suspension. Despite losses in muscle mass, there was no decrease in the force produced by the plantar flexor muscle group after hind limb suspension.

DISCUSSION
Hind limb suspension decreased both gastrocnemius and soleus mass, and in vitro soleus force production. However, in vivo force production of the plantar flexor muscle group did not decrease, which may be explained by a shift in the isometric torque: ankle angle relationship. The use of eccentric or isometric contractions as a countermeasure to offset muscle mass and strength requires further investigation as neither was capable of maintaining soleus muscle force production, or gastrocnemius and soleus muscle mass during hind limb suspension.


Detection of sub-THz spin cycloid resonances (SCRs) of stoichiometric BiFeO3 (BFO) was demonstrated using a vector network analyzer. Continuous wave absorption spectroscopy is possible, thanks to heterodyning and electronic sweep control using frequency extenders for frequencies from 480 to 760 GHz. High frequency resolution reveals SCR absorption peaks with a frequency precision in the ppm regime. Three distinct SCR features of BFO were observed and identified as Ψ1 and Φ2 modes, which are out-of-plane and in-plane modes of the spin cycloid, respectively. A spin reorientation transition at 200 K is evident in the frequency vs temperature study. The global minimum in linewidth for both Ψ modes at 140 K is ascribed to the critical slowing down of spin fluctuations.


The proton resonances of cytotoxin II from Naja naja oxiana were sequentially assigned in 2D 1H NMR spectra for all of its 60 amino acid residues of both major and minor components of the spectra. The presence of the minor component was shown to be due to a conformational heterogeneity of the cytotoxin. The proton-deuterium exchange rates of amide groups were measured in 2H2O at a pH of 5.0 and at 10 degrees C. Experimental data obtained (d-connectivities, H-NC alpha-H coupling constants and long-range NOEs) allowed for the determination of the secondary structure of the two cytotoxin conformers. Both conformer structures contain two antiparallel beta-sheets. The first beta-sheet involves two antiparallel beta-strands comprising the residues 2-5 and 10-13. The second sheet involves three antiparallel strands consisting of the residues 20-26, 35-39, and 49-55; its peripheral beta-strands are connected by cross-over. The most striking structural difference between these conformers is the nature of the beta-turn 6-9, which has trans- and cis-forms of the Val7-Pro8 peptide bond in the major and minor conformer, respectively. The structures of other beta-turns, some of which are ascribed to standard types, and the C-termini are almost the same for the both conformers.


Human aortic elastin reduced with [3H]borohydride was analysed by ion-exchange chromatography after alkali or acid hydrolysis. Alkali hydrolysates of elastins contained a radioactive peak that was eluted between proline and leucine. This peak was not present in foetal elastin, but its proportion increased steadily during aging. Aortic samples from patients with annulo-aortic ectasia (aneurysm of the ascending aorta), including one with classical Marfan syndrome, contained less elastin (CNBr-insoluble material) than did the age-matched controls. The proportion of radioactivity in the new peak of all these aortas was low when compared with age-matched controls. Gas-chromatographic/mass-spectrometric analysis suggested that it contained a cyclic derivative of a hydrated aldol-condensation product. The concentration of the cross-link precursors, lysine aldehyde and aldol-condensation product (estimated from the acid-hydrolysis product 6-chloronorleucine and the acid-degradation product of reduced aldol-condensation product) was high in very young aortas but remained quite stable after childhood. No differences were observed in cross-link profiles of acid hydrolysates between pathological and control aortas. A low proportion of radioactivity in the new peak may indicate the presence of young or immature elastin in the pathological aortas.


The practice of transportation engineering and planning has evolved substantially over the past several decades. A new paradigm for transportation engineering education is required to engage students better. Simulation tools have been used by transportation professionals to evaluate and analyze the potential impact of design or control strategy changes. Simulation, which can effectively convey complex transportation concepts, is particularly valuable in transportation education. The use of simulation in transportation education gives students the opportunity to apply different control strategies in a risk-free environment and teaches them transportation engineering methodologies. Despite its advantages, simulation has not been widely adopted in transportation engineering education. Its use in undergraduate transportation courses is sporadic; the reported efforts have been primarily in upper-level technical elective courses. A suite of web-based simulation modules has been developed and incorporated into undergraduate transportation courses at the University of Minnesota. The Simulating Transportation for Realistic Engineering Education and Training (STREET) research project was recently awarded a grant by the National Science Foundation to develop web-based simulation modules, to improve instruction in transportation engineering courses, and to evaluate their effectiveness. The ultimate goal of the STREET project is to become the epicenter for the development of simulation-based teaching materials that provide undergraduates with an interactive learning environment. Given the hands-on aspect of simulation, the hope is that its use will improve student understanding of critical concepts in transportation engineering, and will also enhance student interest in transportation engineering and thereby increase their presence in the field. The intention is to disseminate the results and teaching materials to other colleges so they can integrate these online modules into their curricula.


In source localization one estimates the location of a source using a variety of relative position information. Such relative position information is often provided by the received signal strength (RSS) which is in turn affected by log normal shadowing. This paper considers optimal sensor placement in two dimensions so that a source can be localized optimally from the RSS at various non-collinear sensors. We assume that the source to be localized is uniformly distributed in a circle. The goal is to optimally place sensors outside a larger concentric circle, by maximizing the smallest eigenvalue or the determinant of the expectation of an underlying Fisher Information matrix, or minimizing the trace of its inverse. We show that optimality is achieved if and only if the the expected value of the FIM is a scaled identity, and provide methods for achieving this condition.


The current work assesses the relationship between respondent perceptions of collective efficacy and neighborhood violence. Data used in the analysis combined a community survey from Mesa, Arizona, with census data. Factor analysis provided mixed evidence regarding the factor structure of collective efficacy; therefore, separate regression models were used to test the influence of collective efficacy, social cohesion, and willingness to intervene on levels of neighborhood violence. Analyses found that community structural characteristics including concentrated disadvantage and residential instability significantly predicted perceptions of collective efficacy, social cohesion, and willingness to intervene. In turn each of these variables was related to violent crime after controlling for levels of concentrated disadvantage, residential instability, and individual demographic characteristics. When social cohesion and willingness to intervene were included in a single regression model, only social cohesion was predictive of neighborhood violence. Social cohesion and violent crime had reciprocal effects that were both negative and statistically significant.


An elementary step in drug policy analysis is comparing the cost of an intervention to its benefit in the form of the social cost averted because of reduced drug use and associated consequences. One would think that cost of illness (COI) studies would provide a solid foundation for quantifying the benefits of reduced drug use, but at present they do not. This paper suggests ways the COI studies could be adapted to serve better policy analytic purposes.


Patient education in asthma management is important; however, there is little known about the characteristics of patients receiving asthma education or how often primary care physicians provide it. The objective of the study was to identify the characteristics of patients receiving asthma education. It was a cross-sectional study using 2001 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data. The study included 1230 physicians providing office-based ambulatory medical care in the United States. Patients in the study (weighted n=11,279,952) were those diagnosed with asthma based on International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision code receiving care from a pediatrician, internist or a family physician. Main and secondary outcome measures were asthma education ordered or provided. Multivariate analysis indicated that asthma patients receiving education were more likely to have office visits >20 min [odds ratio (OR) = 3.934], be seen for an acute reason (OR = 2.268), be seen in follow-up rather than an initial visit (OR = 1.780), live in rural rather than metropolitan areas (OR = 1.507), have public rather than private insurance (OR = 1.276) and be seen in privately owned practices (OR = 1.248). Bivariate analyses indicated that patients seeing family physicians were more likely than those seeing internists or pediatricians to receive education. Patient education was not uniformly provided. Family physicians provided more asthma education than either pediatricians or internists. Future research should investigate the quality of education provided.