OBJECTIVES
To review the current usefulness of urinary cytology in the diagnosis of upper urinary tract urothelial tumor in relation to conservative endoscopic treatment.

METHODS
Bibliographic review of the published articles about urinary cytology of the upper urinary tract urothelial tumor and evaluation of the diagnostic efficacy obtained in various series. Review of the cytological diagnostic criteria for urothelial tumors.

RESULTS
From 1960 to 2003, 26 series collecting results of the cytological diagnosis of urothelial tumors of the ureter and renal pelvis have been published. Results have been variable with a diagnostic accuracy between 23 and 100%. Such an ample variation depends on sampling techniques, preparation techniques, type of tumor, and the urologists and pathologist's experience. The collection of the sample by direct endoscopical visualization significantly proves the diagnostic efficacy of cytology for upper urinary tract urothelial tumors.

CONCLUSIONS
Urine cytology selectively obtained from the upper urinary tract with endoscopical techniques is a reliable method in the diagnosis of renal pelvis and ureter neoplasias. Urine cytology has a sensitivity close to 90% and specificity between 98-100% for carcinoma in situ and high-grade urothelial neoplasias, so that it can contribute in the therapeutic decision making process in a very effective manner. Despite its low sensitivity, it may be useful in the diagnosis of low grade urothelial neoplasias when samples are selectively obtained by catheterization, and it has not been excelled by any of the biomarkers molecular tests yet.


Rice bran protein, a plant protein, has been recognized as nutritionally superior to other proteins due on its reported hypoallergenicity and anti-cancer activity. Therefore, it is considered as a promising protein resource applicable in variety of fields such as functional food, cosmetics, livestock and medicine. However, as of now, commercial rice bran protein is not widely available on the market, especially in Vietnam, because of a lack of extraction methods currently in use. In particular, the available methods can not be used to obtain protein isolates of high quality at affordable commercial price. Vietnam is one of the bigest rice export countries in the world, that makes rice bran an abundant agricultural by-product and thus, a readily sufficient source for protein extraction. This study aimed to establish a simple processing method for extraction of high content of protein isolates from rice bran. The obtained results indicated that rice bran was effectively hydrolysed in 20 minutes with α-amylase (Ternamyl) at concentration of 0.25%, pH 7.0 and 90 o C. A procedure of 8 steps for protein extraction was given: i) Suspend rice bran in water and stir for 30 minutes at room temperature; ii) Adjust the suspension to pH 9.0 with NaOH 1N and stir for 4 hours; iii) Adjust the suspension to pH 7.0 with HCl 1N, add 0,25% Ternamyl at 90 o C and hydrolyse for 20 minutes; iv) Centrifuge at 4000 rpm for 20 minutes to collect the supernatant; v) Precipitate protein isolates at pH 4.0 by adding HCl 1N; vi) Centrifuge at 4000 rpm for 20 minutes to collect protein isolates; vii) Wash protein isolates twice with water; viii) Dry the isolates at 50 o C. The content of protein isolates from this procedure was 41.77% and the yield of processing was 13,41%. The technological indexes including foaming capacity and emulsion activity were 20% and 73.50, respectively, which were higher compared to the same  product from China.


: On two assumptions, first that the number of dietarily essential nutrients for Man and the common monogastric mammals is 40 and, second, that the effects of at least two dietary levels of each nutrient would have to be examined in order to cover the possible nutrient interactions, then 2(40), or approximately 10(12) diets would need to be prepared. This number is beyond human capacity within any reasonable period of time: moreover, it assumes constancy of the non-essential part of the diet. Very few of the possible nutrient interactions have been studied and, as a supplement to piecemeal studies by individual workers, a co-ordinated research programme is desirable. It is noted that, while considerable attention has been paid to the nutrition of growth, the adult stage has been very neglected: the status of adult man in particular calls for attention. Factors concerned in the planning of co-ordinated research are briefly discussed.


This paper discusses the construction of women, men, and gender equality in Swedish general and foreign politics, 1991-2015. Using a critical discourse analysis along with the Copenhagen School and securitization theory, this study finds a progression of feminist constructions in regards to women as time passes. This progression is gradual within general politics but more abrupt within foreign politics. Men are not found to be explicitly constructed, which aligns with theories of the male norm. Gender equality is constructed in a variety of ways depending on the speaker. The sex and gender of the Swedish Cabinet is not found to be of any real importance in regards to linguistic constructions. This study finds its raison d'etre in questioning the construction of half our population by those who hold the political power. In doing so it helps fill a gap within the political science field, as studies of women and Swedish politics are few following the end of the Cold War.


We investigate situations in which agents can communicate to each other only through a chain of intermediators, for example because they have to obey institutionalized communication protocols. We assume that all involved in the communication are strategic, and might want to influence the action taken by the final receiver. The set of pure strategy equilibrium outcomes is simple to characterize, monotonic in each intermediator's bias, does not depend on the order of intermediators, and intermediation in these equilibria cannot improve information transmission. However, none of these conclusions hold for mixed equilibria. We provide a partial characterization of mixed equilibria, and offer an economically relevant sufficient condition for every equilibrium to be outcome-equivalent to a pure equilibrium and hence the simple characterization and comparative statics results to hold for the set of all equilibria.


Abstract : It has been recognized that a two-aperture approach to ground moving target indication is sub-optimum and that target parameter estimation is often compromised by clutter interference or poor signal-to-clutter ratios. This paper investigates the Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI) performance of several virtual channel concepts proposed for the RADARSAT-2 Moving Object Detection EXperiment (MODEX). These are capable of increasing the spatial diversity of RADARSAT-2 by exploiting its very flexible antenna programming capabilities and allowing the two-channel SAR system to operate like a three or four channel radar. A high fidelity Space-Based Radar Moving Target Indication Simulator (SBRMTISIM) is used to generate virtual channel raw GMTI data for analysis. Moving targets are detected using a combination of the Factored Space-Time Adaptive Processing (Factored STAP) and the Cell-Averaging Constant False Alarm Rate (CA-CFAR) detector. The detection performances of virtual multichannel MODEX modes are analyzed and compared with each other and with those of true or fictitious multichannel space-based radar systems.


The exponential growth of digital content has led to an overwhelming abundance of movies and TV shows, making it increasingly challenging for viewers to discover content that aligns with their preferences. To address this issue, the Movie Recommendation System based on Machine Learning has emerged as a promising solution. This abstract provides an overview of such a system. In this research paper we are going to develop a model to recommend movies based on item-based filtering and not on user based. Most of the movie recommendations used by organizations are using user based collaborative filtering but this limits us to recommend movies when we get a sufficient data of user to find their behavior. Item based filtering usually maps the item with one another using some criterion or model and here we will use vectorization for that. This model will map all the vectors which is here referred as movies on a single point and will work on that to find angle between them and the most similar movies will be the one with smallest angle between them. Key components of the system include data collection and preprocessing, feature engineering, and model training. Item-based collaborative filtering, are used to establish relationships between users and movies based on their interactions. Content-based filtering analyzes movie attributes like genre, actors, summary, and user preferences to create content-based recommendations. Hybrid methods combine collaborative and content-based filtering to enhance recommendation quality. In conclusion, the Movie Recommendation System Based on Machine Learning leverages advanced algorithms to provide users with personalized and engaging movie recommendations, addressing the challenge of content discovery in the digital age. This system not only enhances user satisfaction but also benefits content providers by increasing user engagement and retention.


The authors present a novel approach to perform the readout of a genetic sensor using a configurable architecture with extremely low drift with temperature and low sensitivity to the drift of mobile gate oxide charges. The proposed architecture, able to detect small changes of U.V. absorbance, calculates the analog weighted difference between the gate / source voltages of a floating gate and a reference nMOS transistor fabricated using a single poly technology. The theoretical dependence of the obtained results on both device and circuit parameters has carefully been analyzed. Experimental results show that the circuit offers a valid solution to decrease the error due to temperature variation during operation. Moreover, the measurement procedure is sufficiently quick for neglecting threshold voltage shifts due to mobile charges. Finally, the proposed approach has a particular advantage in integrated system design, since it is compatible with high-density MOS logic.


This chapter presents and synthesizes the culturally oriented challenges of managing distributed projects by Global Virtual Teams (GVTs) and examines the distinctive issues intrinsic to GVT work structures from a research perspective. In the first section, the authors define the concept of the global virtual team and explore the differences between global virtual teams and traditional co-located team structures. In the second section, they draw upon the cross-cultural theories (Hall, 1976; Hofstede, 1984) as a framework to explore the unique aspects of managing GVTs and then further develop a cultural typology illustrating the challenges of GVTs. Next, the authors discuss the research approaches to examine the cultural impacts on the success of GVTs, as well as highlight the practical implication in the light of the wide-ranging training programs needed by multinational corporations. In the final section, they assert that in order to be effective, GVTs need to develop new patterns of communication, team structure, knowledge exchange, and project management capabilities, and thus, the authors conclude with the future research directions.


To investigate the effects of K+ uptake on the intracellular environment, both 39K-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and K+-selective electrodes were used to measure K+ activity with acute K+ loading in control and K+-adapted rats. These results were then compared with tissue K+, measured by flame photometry. There was a lower NMR K+ visibility (ratio of NMR signal to tissue content) in muscle and liver in K+-adapted rats, compared with controls before and after an acute K+ load. This lower K+ visibility in K+-adapted rats was confirmed in liver homogenate with the K+-specific electrode. In liver homogenates from control and K+-adapted rats, addition of RbCl (300 mumol/g) increased the NMR K+ signal more in K+-adapted rats (19 +/- 1.1 mumol/g) than controls (11 +/- 1.0 mumol/g, P less than 0.01). This is consistent with the displacement of K+, by Rb+, from NMR-undetected sites. These results suggest that some 10-15% of intracellular K+ may be within a compartment not detectable by NMR or electrodes and that chronic K+ loading leads to an increased capacity of this compartment.


Primary school is an indispensable part of children's daily lives and their parents as well. While educational environment within the school premise is important, the location of primary schools in any neighborhood is of equal importance, since it affects the daily journey of the children to school and the neighborhood environment in general. However, there are so far no such mandatory government policies in Nepal that link residential neighborhoods and location of primary schools, and no researches have been carried out in this respect either. This research explores one of the urban residential neighborhoods, Koteswor, of the Kathmandu Valley from the perspective of location of primary school and its service to the locality. The research makes a field study on the distribution pattern and service radius of primary schools, commuting distance and pedestrian safety of children. The study shows that more than three fourth of the children go to more distant schools than to schools within their residential area, and more than half go to other districts. Likewise, walking distance for half of the children exceeds the limit of Ministry of Education's recommendation for urban areas. Children's safety on their way to school through vehicular road is also a serious concern of the parents. Thus, while there is enough number of schools in the locality, it raises question on their quality, management and their distribution. Furthermore, only one school run by the Ministry of Education in an area of 40,000 population shows the irresponsibility of the government to meet the free basic education for all stated by the constitution.


Abstract A large group of people are receptive to COVID skeptic messages which can be linked to lower levels of perceived risk and uncompliant behavior. Using a survey instrument targeting young adults, which we repeated during the second and fourth waves of COVID-19, we explored how various psychological factors affect risk perception and to what degree can these be linked to COVID skepticism. Our results suggest that higher skepticism is very strongly associated with a lower risk perception. Skepticism also mediates the effects of well-known antecedents of risk perception, such as individualism, pro-social attitudes and trust in scientists. We found that contracting the virus is associated with increased risk perception and increased skepticism, which is contradictory, but understandable considering our sample composition. Among those who had a family member or a friend contracting the virus we observed higher levels of perceived risk and lower skepticism. The longitudinal nature of our research highlights that the influence of trust in scientists and government are dependent on the public discourse, which naturally develops over time. Differences in risk perception based on gender, which is well established in the literature and significant in our first sample, have diminished by the time of our second sample, suggesting this effect could be crowded out as people's understanding grows and beliefs form about the virus. The findings emphasize the importance of assessing skepticism not only for researchers studying COVID related risk perception and its psychological predictors, but also for policy makers combating hazardous scenarios like the pandemic.


Introduction:Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast (ACCB) is a rare malignancy with favorable prognosis: axillary lymph node involvement, distant metastases, and death due to disease are uncommon. ACCB may recur locally many years after primary surgical excision and may be substantially higher if primary procedure is lumpectomy rather than mastectomy. Methods:Pathology database searched to identify patients diagnosed with ACCB between 1988 and 2007 at Hamilton Health Sciences Centre, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Two pathologists independently reviewed histology to confirm diagnosis of ACCB, and documented surgical procedure, tumor size, tumor grade, surgical margin, and lymph node status. Immunohistochemistry was performed on representative blocks and independently reviewed by 2 pathologists. Clinical and radiologic data were retrospectively reviewed. Results:Fifteen cases of ACCB were identified and pathology slides were available for 12. The median age was 62 years. Seven patients presented with a palpable mass and breast pain was described in 3. Positive surgical margins were identified in 5 patients (42%). Only 3 patients had postoperative radiation therapy. Conclusions:Our series shows frequent resection margin involvement in ACCB. Neither clinical nor mammographic examination consistently delineated full tumor extent preoperatively. Future use of magnetic resonance imaging in preoperative assessment may prevent high positive margin rate when lumpectomy is planned. Histologic assessment of tumor extent may be difficult, but immunohistochemistry may be helpful in this regard.


Periodic orbits for the classical ϕ^{4} theory on the one-dimensional lattice are systematically constructed by extending the normal modes of the harmonic theory, for periodic, free and fixed boundary conditions. Through the process, we investigate which normal modes of the linear theory can or cannot be extended to the full nonlinear theory and why. We then analyze the stability of these orbits, clarifying the link between the stability, parametric resonance, and Lyapunov spectra for these orbits. The construction of the periodic orbits and the stability analysis is applicable to theories governed by Hamiltonians with quadratic intersite potentials and a general on-site potential. We also apply the analysis to theories with on-site potentials that have qualitatively different behavior from the ϕ^{4} theory, with some concrete examples.


An individual-based model, originally developed for a biofilm system, was adapted to simulate three-dimensional formation of activated sludge flocs. The model was extended to two different bacterial morphotypes (flocforming and filamentous bacteria), allowing spatial development of the floc according to the bacterial morphology, diffusion, reaction, and growth processes. The model needed also extension with a process for attachment of individual cells. Despite being in an early stage of development, the model is already a tool that enables us to obtain useful information about the microfloc environment. The model indicates that filamentous bacterial morphology and substrate microgradients are important aspects in the formation of bacterial structures. In mass transport-limited regimes filamentous bacterial structures prevail, whereas in growth-limited regimes irregular shaped flocs with fingerlike structures are dominant. These modeling results suggest that activated sludge flocs and biofilms might be different manifestations of the same phenomena. The model results support the hypothesis that floc-macrogradients can be the most important parameter for development of bulking sludge. The model suggests that attachment has a very strong effect on floc structure, leading to enhancement of the effect of substrate microgradients.


In the current international scientific panorama, rare cases of venous thrombotic complications following mRNA vaccine administration have been reported, consisting mainly of cerebral sinus thromboses and acute venous thromboembolism. The present paper describes the case of a 75-year-old woman in good health who developed cerebral venous thrombosis, deep venous thrombosis, and bilateral pulmonary emboli after receiving a second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. A series of laboratory tests performed during hospitalization yielded interesting results, allowing us to exclude thrombophilic risk factors and to certify the absence of thrombocytopenia in the patient. Although COVID-19 vaccination is the most important tool in stopping the pandemic, pharmacovigilance is crucial for detecting potential multisystem thrombotic events, even for mRNA vaccines.


The controversies surrounding the re-establishment of a national memorial in Berlin, the Neue Wache, are examined to discuss the process of public memory. After unification, West German media continued to define public debate. 'Established' interest groups (politicians, victims, historical experts and citizen groups) were included in media discussions whereas others (East Germans, marginalized groups) were not. Criticisms about the function, form and 'forgetfulness' of the memorial reflected West German memory politics (Erinnerungspolitik) about the historical uses of: national institutions, religious (but not gendered) national symbols, and social categories of victim and perpetrator. In response to criticisms, a plaque was added to the memorial. Locally, activists created inclusive spaces to address critically the meaning of the National Socialist past in contemporary landscapes. The memorial is thus both a material object and a site of negotiation; it remains 'entangled' with the ongoing creation of historical narratives, official visions, local memories and cultural productions.


This work aims to determine the optimal heat sink fin shape to promote the efficient rise of hot air away from the heat sink. The heat transfer and convective flow dynamics external to a commercial Stirling engine are investigated. In particular, this study employs an adjoint optimization approach based on CFD simulations to determine the sensitivity of the objective function to the shape of the heat sink and influence on the natural convection heat flow away from the external heat sink. This deterministic optimization approach increases the heat transfer rate of the heat sink by nearly 20% in this study when performing a small number of design iterations.


: Starting from the increasing clinical requirement to make grave decisions (e.g. discontinuation of treatment) during hospitalisation of patients in an apallic syndrome, problems of defining the "apallic syndrome"--compared with the Anglo-American term "persistent vegetative state"--are reviewed. Besides conceptual criticism based on pathogenetic considerations and neuropathological findings the author especially demonstrates the varying inclusion criteria of the clinical syndrome concerning the apallic syndrome as well as the persistent vegetative state. Furthermore attempts to introduce more precisely defined subgroups (e.g. complete apallic syndrome) and new competing terms are shown. Referring to clinical diagnosis the low value of technical studies resulting from a great range of--sometimes controversial--findings contrasts with the high importance of identifying clinically related syndromes. Recent prognostic data that apply to judging the permanence of an apallic syndrome or persistent vegetative state are discussed. From this follows that they are of limited validity for the single patient. Finally it is attempted to work out some implications for clinical proceedings that should enable to meet a situation afflicted with diagnostic and prognostic uncertainties according to the present medical knowledge.


Building on reciprocity theory, the current study suggests that, at least to some extent, consumers purchase goods and services in response to sampling due to a perceived need to reciprocate for trying the products/services. In addition, the study explores the effect of charging for sampling (i.e., wine tasting) on tourist behavior. The sample (N = 357) was drawn from visitors to six wineries in an emerging wine region. Three of the sampled wineries charged a small fee for tasting, while the other three wineries offered complimentary wine tasting. The study examined whether differences exist in a perceived need to buy wine between visitors who paid a tasting fee and those who tasted wine for free. The results indicated that visitors who had complimentary wine tasting spent significantly more money at the wineries than visitors who paid a fee for tasting. Furthermore, visitors who tasted wine for free felt significantly more appreciative of the personnel than did visitors who paid a tasting fee. Also, visitors who had complimentary wine tasting reported significantly higher levels of obligation to make a purchase at the end of their visits to the wineries. Managerial implications are discussed.


We consider the problem of planning in complex domains where actions are stochastic, non-instantaneous, may occur concurrently, and time is represented explicitly. Our approach is based on the situation calculus based language Golog. Instead of general search for a sequence of actions, as in classical planning, we consider the problem of computing a deterministic, sequential program (with stochastic actions as primitives) from an underspecified, non-deterministic, concurrent program. Similar to the search for a plan, the process of obtaining a deterministic program from a non-deterministic one is carried out offline, with the deterministic program obtained by this process then being available for online execution. We then describe a form of domain-dependent search control that can be used to provide some degree of goal-directedness to the search for solutions in this setting, and also show how a simple programming construct for probabilistic tests can be used for further prunning of the search space.


ABSTRACT The Lindblad equation is commonly used for studying quantum dynamics in open systems that cannot be completely isolated from an environment, relevant to a broad variety of research fields, such as atomic physics, materials science, quantum biology and quantum information and computing. For electrons in condensed matter systems, the Lindblad dynamics is intractable even if their mutual Coulomb repulsion could somehow be switched off. This is because they would still be able to affect each other by interacting with the bath. Here, we develop an approximate approach, based on the Hubbard–Stratonovich transformation, which allows to evolve non-interacting Fermions in open quantum systems. We discuss several applications for systems of trapped 1D Fermions showing promising results. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


Instrumentation-based profiling provides a number of benefits, but can also cause high performance overhead. The negative impact of this overhead could be mitigated considerably if only a small part of the target application (e.g. one that has previously been identified as a bottleneck) is instrumented, possibly for a short time only, while the rest of the application code runs at full speed. In this paper we present an experimental profiling system called JFluid, which includes a modified Java/spl trade/ VM and a GUI tool, and addresses both of the above issues. Our tool supports dynamic instrumentation of a group of methods defined as an arbitrary "root" method plus all methods that it calls (a call subgraph). Methods that belong to a call subgraph are revealed and instrumented lazily, to minimise the number of methods instrumented unnecessarily. Measurements that we obtain when performing full and partial program profiling show that the overhead can be reduced substantially using this technique, and that it is more beneficial when used for large server-side Java applications as opposed to small benchmarks.


Ab initio pseudopotential calculations of Cu/Al2O3 and Au/TiO2 interfaces have revealed strong effects of interface stoichiometry. About the Cu/Al2O3 system used for coatings and electronic devices, the interfacial bond of the O-terminated (O-rich) Cu/Al2O3(0001) interface is very strong with ionic and covalent Cu-O interactions, although that of the Al-terminated (stoichiometric) one is rather weak with electrostatic and Cu-Al hybridization interactions. About the Au/TiO2 system with unique catalytic activity, the adhesive energy between non-stoichiometric (Ti-rich or O-rich) TiO2(110) surface and a Au layer is very large, and there occur substantial charge transfer and orbital hybridization, which should have close relations to the catalytic activity.


Photoelectrochemical water oxidation driven by photocatalysts is one of the most effective ways for converting solar energy into fuels and chemicals. However, to date, the solar conversion efficiency using the established photocatalysts is still low. Herein, we report a new strategy for making a class of three-dimensional (3D) BiVO4/Fe-based (Ni1−xFex and Co1−xFex) layered double hydroxide (LDH) interface heterostructures for boosting the photoelectrocatalytic water oxidation performance. Compared with the BiVO4, the BiVO4/Ni0.5Fe0.5–LDH interface photoanode exhibits about 4-fold photocurrent enhancement at 1.23 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode and remarkable negative shift (320 mV) of the onset potential for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Theoretical calculations reveal that the enhanced photocatalysis for the OER is mainly attributed to the optimal light absorption and the acceleration of electron–hole separation enabled by the strong electronic coupling at the BiVO4/NiFe–LDH interface. The present work first highlights the importance of tuning the light absorption and the separation of carriers using interface engineering in enhancing the solar photocatalytic performance.


Introduction: Early-onset type 2 diabetes in adults (eoT2D; T2D diagnosed between 18 and 39 years) is increasingly prevalent and is associated with high rates of diabetic complications. We hypothesized that eoT2D would be associated with adverse glycemic parameters (e.g., higher A1c and glycemic variability) .
 Methods: We used data from the Veterans Administration Diabetes Risk Cohort, a dynamic cohort of all U.S. Veterans enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration since 1/1/08 who were free from diabetes at enrollment. Among participants who developed T2D (n=936,596) , we fit linear regression models examining associations of age at detection with A1c-based measures of glycemia.
 Results: A ten-year younger age at detection was associated with a 0.24% higher A1c at T2D detection, a 0.29% higher mean A1c, a 0.02% higher A1c coefficient of variation (CV) , and a 0.02% higher A1c average real variability (ARV) . Compared to T2D with onset after 40 years, eoT2D was associated with a 0.73% higher A1c at T2D detection, a 0.82% higher mean A1c, a 0.05% higher CV, and a 0.04% higher ARV (all p<0.0001, Table 1) .
 Conclusions: eoT2D is associated with higher A1c and glycemic variability. Further study of glycemic trajectories, modifiable risk factors, and clinical course in this T2D subgroup are needed.

 S. Avramovic: None. M. D. Schwartz: None. D. Enquobahrie: None. E. J. Boyko: None. P. Wander: None.


ABSTRACT Authigenic quartz euhedra are described from a well drilled in the Lockport Formation (Middle Silurian) southwestern Cattaraugus county, southwestern New York State. The formation is dolostone part of which is dolomicrite; the latter, occurring in the top-half of the formation, is the host to authigenic quartz euhedra which occur isolated or in aggregates. Isolated euhedra are equant, prismatic, or lath shaped and display extensive boundary corrosion and length-slow optical character. Aggregates of quartz euhedra are either fan-shaped or clusters composed of euhedra radiating out in all directions. In both cases corrosion effects and length-slow optical character are seen. These authigenic quartz euhedra are interpreted as filling voids created by dissolution of sulfate crystals. Feat res leading to this interpretation are quartz crystal morphology, comparison of quartz euhedra with detrital quartz, and comparative crystal morphology of quartz and sulfates (gypsum and celestite). Precipitation of sulfates must have occurred in lime mud which contained detrital quartz. The pH fluctuations led to sulfate dissolution and quartz precipitation. Finally, dolomitization resulted in corrosion of quartz-crystal boundaries.


Lactobacilli can be introduced as probiotics because of their health-promoting characteristics and non-pathogenic nature. This study aimed to perform the isolation, molecular identification, and probiotic characterization of Lactobacillus to find candidate strains isolated from unpasteurized milk of Cow and samples of young calves ileum with probiotic activity. Forty- two isolates were obtained. Of these, 5 Lactobacillus strains belonging to five species (L. paraplantarum strain S143, L. pentosus strain P2-3, L. plantarum strain J12, L. gasseri strain F. and L. reuteri strain IRT) were identified. They demonstrated remarkable results such as resistant to simulated gastric juices with pepsin and simulated small intestinal juice with pancreatin, susceptible to some antibiotics, good antimicrobial activity and strong adhesion to Caco-2 cell line that candidate them as potential probiotics. Moreover, the compatibility between the five selected starins was tested and there was no antagonism found between them.


This paper presents a novel methodology for the construction of fault tree using rough set and clustering algorithm. Taking advantage of the strong ability of RS theory in processing large data and eliminating redundant information, this method can remove irrelevant factors from the original fault data and reduce the dimension of processing data which helps to overcome fuzzy clustering algorithm's defect when process large database. The method is introduced and explained in details and its correctness and completeness is validated by Fault tree construction of oil-immersed traction transformers.


SUMMARY: The tetanus toxin receptr in nervous tissue appears to be a ganglioside (mucolipid, strandin, containing: fatty acid, sphingosine, glucose, galactose, acetylgalactosamine, acetylneuraminic acid and amino acid (?) residues). The water-soluble ganglioside occurs in ervous tissue in the form of labile water-insoluble complexes with cerebrosides and sphingomyelines. The solubility of the complexes in water increases with increasing ganglioside content, but decreases when calcium is incorporated. Standing with ganglioside inactivates the toxin.


Compression-induced damage to the peripheral nerves can cause persistent, mostly exercise-related intensified pain syndromes. In the presence of brachialgia, compression neuropathies must always be considered when rendering the differential diagnosis, whether in the scapular region (e.g. suprascapular syndrome) in the elbow (e.g. supinator syndrome) or the hand (carpal tunnel syndrome, distal ulnar tunnel syndrome). Knowledge of neuroanatomy, detailed history of pain and provocative movements and a targeted examination technique including the findings of provocative testing will usually lead to an accurate diagnosis. Focal neural damage, its exact localization and degree of severity can all be confirmed by the targeted use of electroneurography and needle myography. These procedures will also allow a prognostic estimation and provide information about whether surgical therapeutic procedures are indicated.


High via resistance was detected in the high-density via structure in our 0.15-mum back-end-of-line (BEOL) yield monitoring test vehicle. A localized insulating layer was found on top of the plug in test vehicle causing high via resistance. The failure was attributed to watermark-induced contaminants on top of the W plug. It was shown that the failure could be avoided by eliminating watermark formation on the wafer in the post-chemical-mechanical polishing scrub process.


Introduction: The role of surgery for peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) has slowly evolved from palliation to potential curative intent. Attempting to remove all visible tumor deposits, "surgical cytoreduction" (CRS) was reported in 1930s for ovarian cancer and eventually became an accepted therapy with proven survival benefit. The new approach of combining CRS and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) to treat peritoneal metastasis offer hope for long term survival in this group of patients. The risk and benefit of this approach continued to be debated. A prospective study was conducted to understand the perioperative outcomes of CRS and HIPEC. Aim: To evaluate the perioperative outcomes associated with CRS and HIPEC in Advanced and Recurrent Epithelial Ovarian Cancer with PC. Method: Prospective analysis of patients undergoing CRS and HIPEC from November 2014 to July 2015 was done. Inclusion criteria included localized disease in peritoneal cavity, no distant metastasis and PS <2. Grade 3/4 complications from day of surgery until 30 days postoperatively were recorded. Results: We performed CRS and HIPEC in 20 patients from November 2014 to June 2015. HIPEC Plus regimens included Cisplatin (50 mg/m2) and Lipodox (15 mg/m2) intraperitoneally and Ifosphamide (1300 mg/m2) and Mesna (260 mg/m2). Infusion time was 90 minutes with a temperature range of 41-43°C. Out of 20 patients 6 (30%) underwent primary debulking surgery and 14 (70%) underwent secondary debulking surgery. PCI score ranged from 2-26 (mean 13.65). Mean operating time was 6.42 hrs and average blood loss was 1046 ml. Average hospital stay was 8 days and SICU stay was 4.9 days (range 3-14 days). Total 26 adverse events were observed of which grade 1 were 11 (42%), grade 2 were 8 (30%), grade were 3 (11.5%) and grade 4 were 2 (8%). Most common complication was hematological (8) followed by respiratory (6), sepsis (4) renal (2), GI (2). 4 patients (5 events) developed grade 3 or 4 complications in the form of septicaemia, pulmonary embolism, GI fistula of which 2 patients expited and remaining recovered although required prolonged hospitalization. Increased morbidity were observed in cases with symptomatic relapse, higher PCI score and CA 125 level higher than 250 U/ml. Most of the adverse events were grade 1 and 2 and were managed by observation only or GCSF support, transfusions and other minor interventions. The combined grade 3-4 morbidity was 20% (4 out of 20) which consisted of neutropenia, infection and respiratory complications. One patient required relaparotomy and two patients expired attributed to pulmonary embolism and septicaemia respectively. Conclusion: Enthusiasm associated with improvement in survival is often dampened by increased perioperative mortality and morbidity figures and therefore CRS and HIPEC has not yet been considered standard of care by many centres. HIPEC after extensive cytoreductive surgery for ovarian cancer is a procedure whth acceptable morbidity that patients can tolerate. More follow up is needed to determinr the effect of HIPEC on survival. Till such time more data are obtained by way of larger randomised trials, this approach remains investigational.


A leading African American Communist, lawyer William L. Patterson (1891-1980) was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the defeat of Jim Crowby virtue of his leadership of the Scottsboro campaign in the 1930s. In this watershed biography, historian Gerald Horne shows how Patterson helped to advance African American equality by fostering and leveraging international support for the movement. Horne highlights key moments in Patterson's global activism: his early education in the Soviet Union, his involvement with the Scottsboro trials and other high-profile civil rights cases of the 1930s to 1950s, his 1951 "We Charge Genocide" petition to the United Nations, and his later work with prisons and the Black Panther Party. Through Patterson's story, Horne examines how the Cold War affected the freedom movement, with civil rights leadership sometimes disavowing African American leftists in exchange for concessions from the U.S. government. He also probes the complex and often contradictory relationship between the Communist Party and the African American community, including the impact of the FBI's infiltration of the Communist Party. Drawing from government and FBI documents, newspapers, periodicals, archival and manuscript collections, and personal papers, Horne documents Patterson's effectiveness at carrying the freedom struggle into the global arena and provides a fresh perspective on twentieth-century struggles for racial justice.


An attempt was made to prevent the spread of the virus of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) on three Minnesota pig farms that had been experiencing chronic nursing pig problems, including poor growth rates and increased mortality of post weaning pigs. The PRRS virus and different bacterial pathogens were isolated from all three farms during the initial investigation, and all the farms had a high prevalence of PRRS virus-seronegative breeding animals. All the pigs tested within one week after weaning when they were 18 to 22 days old, were seronegative, whereas 80 to 100 per cent of the pigs tested at eight to nine weeks had antibody titres ranging from 1:64 to 1:1024 by an indirect fluorescent antibody method. The seroprevalence among the finishing pigs on the three farms ranged from 25 to 50 per cent. An eradication protocol was established on each farm, involving emptying the nurseries, followed by pumping out the slurry pits and cleaning, washing and disinfecting three times in 14 days. After the nurseries were repopulated there were improvements in nursery mortality and average daily weight gain, and no seropositive animals were detected in the nurseries on any of the farms; the seronegative status was maintained for the six-month testing period.


Background Human donors of tissues and organs are obliged to undergo analysis for several blood transmitted infections. Serological assays are used, but for ideal sensitivity particularly for early infections these assays are beneficially supplemented with a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT). For this as well as other diagnostic purposes, we have evaluated the multiplex AmpliSens HCV/HBV/HIV-FRT real-time PCR for simultaneous qualitative detection of HCV RNA, HBV DNA and HIV RNA in clinical plasma samples. Methods Clinical plasma samples with known concentrations (according to viral load assays from Roche Diagnostics) of HCV (n = 34; range: 25 – 4.9×106 IU/mL), HBV (n = 30; 20 – 7.6×104 IU/mL) and HIV (n = 32; 34 – 4.7×105 c/mL); and samples from virus-negative blood donors (n = 100) were tested. Nucleic acid was isolated from 1 mL plasma on the MagNA Pure Compact using its Total Nucleic Acid Isolation kit I-Large Volume (Roche Diagnostics). The multiplex AmpliSens HCV/HBV/HIV-FRT real-time PCR (Central Research Institute of Epidemiology, Moscow, Russia) was run on a Rotor-Gene Q PCR instrument (Qiagen). Results To date, 96 samples with various viral loads of HCV (n = 34), HBV (n = 30) and HIV (n = 32), have been analysed. Only three samples with very low concentrations of HCV (< 25–59 IU/mL) were false negative, and no false positive samples have been found. Complete data of the study will be presented at the meeting. Conclusion The multiplex AmpliSens HCV/HBV/HIV-FRT real-time PCR proved to be highly sensitive and specific. Accordingly, this rapid, technically simple and low cost assay might be effectively used for screening of human donors as well as for other diagnostic purposes


Abstract: Corresponding to the requirements launched by OECD and the Swiss Federal Statistical Office in the project Definition and Selection of Competencies (DeSeCo) the paper provides an analysis of salient discourses, strategies and steps found at the national level for the definition of key competencies as the desired outputs of the educational system or as a basis for assessment. The methodological framework of the report is based on an analysis of literature and selected documents covering the debate held and the policy adopted in Austria regarding the definition and selection of competencies, and on a small number of specific interviews with experts representing interest groups and the school administration. The most noteworthy activities found in Austria were two long-term measures: The development of a new curriculum for the secondary lower level (1999 curriculum), which introduced a new mandatory competency notion in the sense of a complementarity between subject-matter competence and self-competence/social competence for this phase of compulsory schooling. Industry as well launched a process of several years that was designed to define the challenges and new requirements facing the system of education and submitted extensive suggestions for the definition of competencies needed, which are aimed at complementing subject-matter competence by methodological and social competence.;


This study will explore the impact of green procurement on purchasing by special reference to the ap-parel manufacturing industry in Sri Lanka. In order to achieve the stated purpose, the researcher devel-oped three research questions, three research objectives, and three hypotheses. Based on institutional theory and natural resource-based view theory, this study constructs a theoretical framework to clarify the mechanisms underlying the relationship between variables. Utilizing a sample of two hundred and fifty-two Sri Lankan professionals from the large-scaled apparel manufacturing sector, a structural model is outlined and tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The study results demonstrate that green procurement has a positive and significant impact on purchasing performance. Further, the survey result recommended that the relationship between product-based green procurement and pro-cess-based green procurement on purchasing performance was positive and statistically signifi-cant. Consequently, organizations striving to achieve better purchasing performance should focus more on executing green procurement practices. These two kinds of procurement capabilities present two facets of a firm's practice on green procurement, which complements rather than substitutes each other. The measurements developed in this study can capture the different aspects of purchasing perfor-mance, thus not only enabling use by practitioners to identify the immediate outcomes of it but also to understand its impacts on organizational performance.


Optical tweezers have been widely utilized in biological sciences and biomedical engineering because of the attractive feature of manipulating microobjects without physical contacts. The integration of optical tweezers and robotic technologies has also led to the emergence of many robot-assisted optical manipulation systems, and a variety of motion control schemes have been reported to automated the process and improve the efficiency. However, the performance of existing control methods for optical tweezers is commonly limited by several issues: 1) presence of spatially varying trapping stiffness, which is difficult to model and identify; 2) requirements of high-order state variables, which are not measurable; and 3) effectiveness of trapping is only valid locally around the center of laser beam. These issues lead to the constructions of controllers, which are computationally involved. This paper presents a simple tracking control method for optical manipulation, which enables the laser beam to automatically trap and then manipulate the cell to track a time-varying trajectory, without high-order derivatives or construction of observers. The development of the proposed controller is based on the singular perturbation approach, by treating the fast manipulator or stage dynamics as a perturbation of the slow cell dynamics, such that the lowest control complexity is achieved. The exponential stability of the overall system that consists of the fast and slow subsystems is proved by using Tikhonov's theorem. Experimental results are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed controller.


Obesity is associated with excessive daytime sleepiness, but its causality remains unclear. We aimed to assess the extent to which intentional weight loss affects daytime sleepiness. Electronic databases were searched through 24 October 2016. Studies involving overweight or obese adults, a weight loss intervention and repeated valid measures of daytime sleepiness were included in the review. Two independent reviewers extracted data on study characteristics, main outcome (change in daytime sleepiness score standardized by standard deviation of baseline sleepiness scores), potential mediators (e.g. amount of weight loss and change in apnoea–hypopnoea index) and other co‐factors (e.g. baseline demographics). Forty‐two studies were included in the review. Fifteen before‐and‐after studies on surgical weight loss interventions showed large improvements in daytime sleepiness, with a standardized effect size of −0.97 (95% confidence interval [CI] −1.21 to −0.72). Twenty‐seven studies on non‐surgical weight loss interventions showed small‐to‐moderate improvement in daytime sleepiness, with a standardized effect size of −0.40 (95%CI −0.52 to −0.27), with no difference between controlled and before‐and‐after studies. We found a nonlinear association between amount of weight loss and change in daytime sleepiness. This review suggests that weight loss interventions improve daytime sleepiness, with a clear dose–response relationship. This supports the previously hypothesized causal effect of obesity on daytime sleepiness. It is important to assess and manage daytime sleepiness in obese patients.


It is difficult to analyze the workload in complex cloud computing environments with a single prediction algorithm as each algorithm has its own shortcomings. A self-adaptive prediction algorithm combining the advantages of linear regression (LR) and a BP neural network to predict workloads in clouds is proposed in this paper. The main idea of the self-adaptive prediction algorithm is to choose the better prediction method of the future workload. Some experiments of prediction algorithms are conducted with workloads on the public cloud servers. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has a relatively high accuracy on the workload predictions compared with the BP neural network and LR. Furthermore, in order to use the proposed algorithm in a cloud data center, a dynamic scheduling architecture of cloud resources is designed to improve resource utilization and reduce energy consumption. A Self-Adaptive Prediction Algorithm for Cloud Workloads


Plant photosystem II (PSII) is organized into large supercomplexes with variable levels of membrane-bound light-harvesting proteins (LHCIIs). The largest stable form of the PSII supercomplex involves four LHCII trimers, which are specifically connected to the PSII core dimer via monomeric antenna proteins. The PSII supercomplexes can further interact in the thylakoid membrane, forming PSII megacomplexes. So far, only megacomplexes consisting of two PSII supercomplexes associated in parallel have been observed. Here we show that the forms of PSII megacomplexes can be much more variable. We performed single particle electron microscopy (EM) analysis of PSII megacomplexes isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana using clear-native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Extensive image analysis of a large data set revealed that besides the known PSII megacomplexes, there are distinct groups of megacomplexes with non-parallel association of supercomplexes. In some of them, we have found additional LHCII trimers, which appear to stabilize the non-parallel assemblies. We also performed EM analysis of the PSII supercomplexes on the level of whole grana membranes and successfully identified several types of megacomplexes, including those with non-parallel supercomplexes, which strongly supports their natural origin. Our data demonstrate a remarkable ability of plant PSII to form various larger assemblies, which may control photochemical usage of absorbed light energy in plants in a changing environment.


Background Aberrant expression of miRNAs was a critical element in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study aimed to explore the involvement and mechanism of miR-126 in IBD. Methods In this study, the endogenous expressions of miR-126, S1PR2 and S1P in the pathological tissues of patients with IBD were detected using qRT-PCR and western blot assay, respectively. The luciferase reporter gene assay was performed to confirm the targeting regulatory relation between miR-126 and S1PR2. The transendothelial electrical resistance assay was used to measured the value of TEER. Results The expressions of miR-126, S1PR2 and S1P in the pathological tissues of IBD patients were significantly higher than that of the control group. Moreover, miR-126 overexpression contributed to intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction in vitro. S1PR2 was a direct target of miR-126, and S1PR2 expression was negatively regulated by miR-126 in Caco-2 cells. However, S1PR2 activated by S1P had the protection effect for the integrity and permeability of intestinal mucosal barrier via a PI3K/Akt dependent mechanism. MiR-126 silencing possessed obvious protective effects on the intestinal barrier function, but these effects could be reversed by JTE-013 or LY294002. Conclusion MiR-126 down-regulated S1PR2 and then prevented the activation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, which ultimately could damage intestinal mucosal barrier function.


It is common for organizations to maintain multiple variants of a given business process, such as multiple sales processes for different products or multiple bookkeeping processes for different countries. Conventional business process modeling languages do not explicitly support the representation of such families of process variants. This gap triggered significant research efforts over the past decade leading to an array of approaches to business process variability modeling. This survey examines existing approaches in this field based on a common set of criteria and illustrates their key concepts using a running example. The analysis shows that existing approaches are characterized by the fact that they extend a conventional process mod- eling language with constructs that make it able to capture customizable process models. A customizable process model represents a family of process variants in a way that each variant can be derived by adding or deleting fragments according to configuration parameters or according to a domain model. The survey puts into evidence an abundance of customizable process modeling languages, embodying a diverse set of con- structs. In contrast, there is comparatively little tool support for analyzing and constructing customizable process models, as well as a scarcity of empirical evaluations of languages in the field.


Objective:The aim of this study was to investigate the association between hormone therapy (HT) use and the development of bone fractures. Methods:Using terms related to HT and fractures, we searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane library for randomized controlled trials on HT and the associated risk of fractures published before August 2014. Two evaluators independently selected studies on the basis of predetermined selection criteria, and 28 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Summary estimates were obtained using fixed- or random-effects models as appropriate. Results:A total of 28 studies included 33,426 participants and 2,516 fractures cases. The overall relative risk of HT was 0.74 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.69-0.80) for total fractures, 0.72 (95% CI 0.53-0.98) for hip fractures, and 0.63 (95% CI 0.44-0.91) for vertebral fractures. In subgroup analyses, women of an age less than 60 years had lower risk of total fractures compared with women of an age more than 60 years (P = 0.003). Estradiol led to greater decrease in the risk of total fractures compared with conjugated equine estrogens (P = 0.01). There is greater reduction in total fracture risk in trials of follow-up less than 36 months than that of follow-up more than 36 months (P = 0.003). No increase in the incidence of total cancer events but an increase in the incidence of thrombus was found to be associated with HT. Conclusions:HT is associated with a reduced risk of total, hip, and vertebral fractures, with a possible attenuation of this protection effect after it is stopped or when it is begun after 60 years. However, there may be an increase in the incidence of thrombus formation associated with HT.


The gracioso roles Lope de Vega wrote into his comedias de santos are products of his imagination, unlike the roles of the saintly protagonists, whose biographies were well established by the flores sanctorum. Traditionally, the graciosos' principal function in these religious dramas has been considered to be the provision of comic relief. Indeed, Golden Age moralistas targeted their attacks on the saints' plays at the graciosos, whom they considered the chief culprits of the profane elements that "polluted" religious drama, robbing it of any evangelizing efficacy it might otherwise have. In this essay, I challenge the assumption that the graciosos represented an obstacle to the improvement of public morality that the saints' plays were designed, in part, to promote. After a brief summary of existing scholarship concerning the functions of the figura del donaire in the comedia de santos, I argue that the inclusion of certain saints' play graciosos can, in fact, be justified for the purposes of edification. In a number of his saints' plays, Lope de Vega blurs the conventional distinction of the roles of gracioso and santo, deleitar and enseñar, respectively. I argue that, because the saintly heroes can, potentially, alienate the corral spectator, Lope places some of his graciosos centre stage, inviting the audience to find religious inspiration, not just in the saints, but also in the unaffected goodness of the humble graciosos. Through these comic characters, Lope provides an alternative model for the successful resolution of very ordinary inner tensions between the worldly and the spiritual self. By tracing the comedia careers of Cosme, in La devoción del rosario and Ruperto, in San Nicolás de Tolentino, I set out internal, textual evidence of the graciosos' trajectory, carefully plotted by Lope, from irreverence to moving piety. The paper also adduces external evidence—an analysis of Lope's adaptation of certain dramatic sources—that supports the proposition that it was our playwright's deliberate strategy to put the gracioso's conversion at the heart of those plays' edificatory intent. Lope might have sympathized with these rather flawed characters, Cosme and Ruperto, created around the time that he himself took the decision to be ordained priest.


A review is given of melanized fungi involved in human infection, including species forming budding cells and strictly filamentous representatives. Classically, they are known as "phaeoid" or "dematiaceous" fungi, and, today, agents are recognized to belong to seven orders of fungi, of which the Chaetothyriales and Pleosporales are the most important. Infections range from cutaneous or pulmonary colonization to systemic or disseminated invasion. Subcutaneous involvement, either primary or after dissemination, may lead to host tissue proliferation of dermis or epidermis. Particularly in the Chaetothyriales, subcutaneous and systemic infections may occur in otherwise apparently healthy individuals. Infections are mostly chronic and require extended antifungal therapy and/or surgery.


The placental transfer of cisapride, a new prokinetic agent, was studied in a sheep model. The pharmacokinetics of cisapride were studied in the lamb, the pregnant ewe, and the fetus by obtaining blood samples from chronically implanted arterial catheters. Comparable pharmacokinetic parameters were found in the lamb and the adult sheep: half-life, 1.39-1.83 hr; total plasma clearance, 1998-2160 ml/kg/hr; AUC, 92.6-100.1 ng.hr/ml. Cisapride plasma concentrations after continuous infusion were predicted correctly based on the parameters obtained after iv bolus. There was a materno-fetal transfer of cisapride following a single iv bolus administered to the mother. Cisapride crossed the placenta within 5 min and equilibrated with maternal plasma within 20 to 30 min after dosing. The average fetal-to-maternal plasma concentration ratio was 0.71. The amniotic fluid also contained measurable amounts of cisapride. The protein binding of cisapride in maternal and fetal plasma is 89.0% and 88.4%, respectively; the free fraction is 4 times larger than in humans. Cisapride crosses the ovine placental barrier. The sheep placenta is less permeable than the human placenta, but the higher free fraction of cisapride facilitates placental transfer.


Obesity is now a worldwide pandemic. The usual explanation given for the prevalence of obesity is that it results from consumption of a calorie dense diet coupled with physical inactivity. However, this model inadequately explains rising obesity in adults and in children over the past few decades, indicating that other factors must be important contributors. An endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) is an exogenous chemical, or mixture that interferes with any aspect of hormone action. EDCs have become pervasive in our environment, allowing humans to be exposed daily through ingestion, inhalation, and direct dermal contact. Exposure to EDCs has been causally linked with obesity in model organisms and associated with obesity occurrence in humans. Obesogens promote adipogenesis and obesity, in vivo, by a variety of mechanisms. The environmental obesogen model holds that exposure to obesogens elicits a predisposition to obesity and that such exposures may be an important yet overlooked factor in the obesity pandemic. Effects produced by EDCs and obesogen exposure may be passed to subsequent, unexposed generations. This "generational toxicology" is not currently factored into risk assessment by regulators but may be another important factor in the obesity pandemic as well as in the worldwide increases in the incidence of noncommunicable diseases that plague populations everywhere. This review addresses the current evidence on how obesogens affect body mass, discusses long-known chemicals that have been more recently identified as obesogens, and how the accumulated knowledge can help identify EDCs hazards.


Background: Urtica urens L. (Family Urticaceae), known as annual nettle, dwarf nettle, small nettle, dog nettle or burning nettle, is used in the treatment of arthritis, uric acid diseases, benign prostatic hyperplasia and burn. In Homoeopathy, the whole plant is used for the treatment of gout, uric acid diathesis, joint pain, lithiasis, urticaria and agalactia and burns. Objective: The objectives of the present study were to investigate morpho-anatomical, powder and physicochemical standards of the whole plant of Urtica urens for authentication and identification of raw drug. Materials and Methods: The current study includes macroscopical and microscopical study of root, stem, leaf and powder and physicochemical studies of whole plant powder and mother tincture of Urtica urens. Results: The taproot is rounded, thick and brown; leaves are long petiolate, elliptic to broadly ovate; stem 0.5–1 cm thick, rounded and branched. Qualitative and quantitative microscopic studies showed the distinguishing characters of root stem and leaf. In physicochemical studies of the drug, extractive values in alcohol and water were ≤7.52 and ≤13.88% w/w, respectively; loss on drying, total, acid insoluble and water-soluble ash were found to be ≤11.75, ≤24.55, ≤3.59 and ≤6.89% w/w, respectively. In mother tincture, weight per millilitre, alcohol content, total solids, pH and λmax were found to be ≥0.97 g, 47% v/v–52% v/v, ≤1.88% w/v, 7.93 and 266, 279 nm, respectively. Conclusion: The data presented in this communication may be used as diagnostic characters for identification and authentication of raw drug so as to ensure purity, quality and efficacy of homoeopathic drug Urtica urens.


Before urban development, most ground-water recharge on Long Island, New York, occurred during the dormant season, when evapotranspiration is low. The use of recharge basins for collection and disposal of urban storm runoff in Nassau County has enabled ground-water recharge to occur also during the growing season. In contrast, the use of storm sewers to route storm runoff to streams and coastal waters has resulted in a decrease in ground-water recharge during the dormant season. The net result of these two forms of urban storm-runoff control has been an increase in annual recharge of about 12 percent in areas served by recharge basins and a decrease of about 10 percent in areas where storm runoff is routed to streams and tidewater. On a countywide basis, annual ground-water recharge has remained nearly the same as under predevelopment conditions, but its distribution pattern has changed. Redistribution resulted in increased recharge in the eastern and central parts of the county, and decreased recharge in the western and nearshore areas. Model simulation of recharge indicates that the water-table altitude has increased by as much as 5 ft above predevelopment levels in areas served by recharge basins and declined by as much as 3 feet in areas where stormwater is discharged to streams and tidewater.


ABSTRACT Electrocution of raptors on poles supporting overhead electric lines is a cause of concern in the United States. Techniques for modifying (i.e., retrofitting) potentially lethal poles to reduce electrocutions have been applied in rural areas to poles most likely to be used by raptors. However, raptors also live in urban areas, and criteria for selecting poles to retrofit in towns and cities may differ from those in rural areas. We assessed the effectiveness of using nest sites of Harris's Hawks (Parabuteo unicinctus) in Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A., as a means to focus proactive efforts to retrofit potentially lethal poles. Specifically, we investigated: (1) whether poles close to Harris's Hawk nests were more likely to cause electrocutions than more distant poles with the same configuration; and (2) whether retrofitting poles within 300 m of nests reduced electrocutions in treated areas. We assessed the number of electrocutions before and after retrofitting by searching for electrocuted hawks at a sample of poles. In 2003, we found 23 electrocuted Harris's Hawks within 300 m of nests. The proportion of poles that electrocuted a juvenile Harris's Hawk remained relatively constant from 0 to 300 m from nests. Poles 201–300 m from nests were more likely to electrocute subadult and adult hawks than were poles <200 m from nests. Prior to retrofitting poles, we detected 1.4 electrocutions per monitored nest. After about half of the potentially lethal poles within 300 m of nests were retrofitted, we detected 0.2 electrocutions per nest. For Harris's Hawks in Tucson, risk of electrocution was at least partially related to the proximity of nests to potentially lethal poles. This relationship also may hold for other medium- to large-bodied raptors nesting in urban environments. We recommend that all potentially lethal poles within 300 m of the nests of urban-nesting raptors be retrofitted through the addition of insulation, or through increased spacing between conductors.


Heme is an essential requirement for cell survival. Heme oxygenase (HO) is the rate-limiting enzyme in heme catabolism and consists of two isozymes, HO-1 and HO-2. To identify the protein that regulates the expression or function of HO-1 or HO-2, we searched for proteins that interact with both isozymes, using protein microarrays. We thus identified 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase 4 (PFKFB4) that synthesizes or degrades fructose-2,6-bisphosphate, a key activator of glycolysis, depending on cellular microenvironments. Importantly, HO-2 and PFKFB4 are predominantly expressed in haploid spermatids. Here, we show a drastic reduction in expression levels of PFKFB4 mRNA and protein and HO-2 mRNA in HepG2 human hepatoma cells in responses to glucose deprivation (≤ 2.5 mM), which occurred concurrently with remarkable induction of HO-1 mRNA and protein. Knockdown of HO-2 expression in HepG2 cells, using small interfering RNA, caused PFKFB4 mRNA levels to decrease with a concurrent increase in HO-1 expression. Thus, in HepG2 cells, HO-1 expression was increased, when expression levels of HO-2 and PFKFB4 mRNAs were decreased. Conversely, overexpression of HO-2 in HepG2 cells caused the level of co-expressed PFKFB4 protein to increase. These results suggest a potential regulatory role for HO-2 in ensuring PFKFB4 expression. Moreover, in D407 human retinal pigment epithelial cells, glucose deprivation decreased the expression levels of PFKFB4, HO-1, and HO-2 mRNAs. Thus, glucose deprivation consistently down-regulated the expression of PFKFB4 and HO-2 mRNAs in both HepG2 cells and RPE cells. We therefore postulate that PFKFB4 and HO-2 are expressed in a coordinated manner to maintain glucose homeostasis.


Recent advances in aerosolization technology have led to renewed interest in pulmonary delivery of a variety of drugs. Pressurized metered dose inhalers (pMDIs) and dry powder inhalers (DPIs) have experienced success in recent years; however, many limitations are presented by formulation difficulties, inefficient delivery, and complex device designs. Simplification of the formulation process as well as adaptability of new devices has led many in the pharmaceutical industry to reconsider aerosolization in an aqueous carrier. In the acute care setting, breath-enhanced air-jet nebulizers are controlling and minimizing the amount of wasted medication, while producing a high percentage of respirable droplets. Vibrating mesh nebulizers offer advantages in higher respirable fractions (RFs) and slower velocity aerosols when compared with air-jet nebulizers. Vibrating mesh nebulizers incorporating formulation and patient adaptive components provide improvements to continuous nebulization technology by generating aerosol only when it is most likely to reach the deep lung. Novel innovations in generation of liquid aerosols are now being adapted for propellant-free pulmonary drug delivery to achieve unprecedented control over dose delivered and are leading the way for the adaptation of systemic drugs for delivery via the pulmonary route. Devices designed for the metered dose delivery of insulin, morphine, sildenafil, triptans, and various peptides are all currently under investigation for pulmonary delivery to treat nonrespiratory diseases. Although these devices are currently still in clinical testing (with the exception of the Respimat®), metered dose liquid inhalers (MDLIs) have already shown superior outcomes to current pulmonary and systemic delivery methods.


The Actuarial Society of South Africa ('Actuarial Society') requires its  members to honour their professional promise to deliver specialist and up-to-date actuarial expertise that is ethical and subject to professional oversight. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the Actuarial Society can encourage its members to develop and maintain the capability to deliver this professional promise through continuing professional development ('CPD'). Current concepts of and approaches to professional development were identified from the literature and various professions' CPD requirements. Thereafter, the opinions of South African actuaries on the insights from the literature were sought by means of an online survey. Analysis of the literature indicates that CPD is most effective when it takes place through a development cycle of planning, action, results and reflection. Further, professional development is associated with  competently completing tasks that are required in the workplace. Data from the survey supported these insights. It is concluded that the Actuarial Society's CPD requirements should be designed to encourage members to develop and maintain their capabilities, and it is therefore suggested that members be required to engage in work-based development cycles. KEYWORDS :Professionalism; continuing professional development; CPD; professional development cycle; professional practice; work-based learning


Background Acute otitis media (OM) is a common disease which often develops through complex interactions between the host, the pathogen and environmental factors. We studied single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of genes involved in innate and adaptive immunity, and other host and environmental factors for their role in OM. Methods Using Sequenom Massarray platform, 21 SNPs were studied in 653 children from prospective (n = 202) and retrospective (n = 451) cohorts. Data were analyzed for the relationship between SNPs and upper respiratory infection (URI) frequency, risk of acute OM during URI episodes, and proneness to recurrent OM. Results Increased risk for OM proneness was associated with CX3CR1 (Thr280Met) SNP and with a jointly interactive group of IL-10 (−1082) SNP, IL-1β (−511) wild type genotype and white race. Family history of OM proneness independently increased the risk for frequent URIs, OM occurrence during URI, and OM proneness. Additionally, IL-1β (−31) SNP was associated with increased risk for frequent URIs, but IL-10 (−592), IL-1β (−511), IL-5 (−746) and IL-8 (−251) SNPs were associated with decreased risk of URI. Conclusion IL-1β (−31), CX3CR1 (Thr280Met), IL-10 (−1082) and IL-1β (−511) SNPs were associated with increased risk for frequent URIs or OM proneness.


The present invention relates to a porous solid polymer electrolyte comprising a solid polymer electrolyte and catalyst particles - catalyst composite electrode, a solid ion conductive polymer electrolyte having a diffusion distribution of the substance in the region of electron conductivity.


UVB and UVC toxicity was detected in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell lines AA8, UV5 and XEM2 (a V79-derived cell line expressing rat P450 1A1). Unlike FICZ-HPLC assay that showed induction of CYP1A1 enzyme activity after 20 minutes and 2 hour UVC exposure, the EROD assay showed no difference in cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) activity after exposure to different doses of UVB and UVC light. Different cytotoxic and mutagenic effect of photo lesions induced by UVC and UVB light was investigated with the DRAG and HPRT assays, comparing the wild type cell line AA8 and the Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER) deficient cell line UV5. DRAG assay showed a significant difference in UV induced cytotoxicity between UVC and UVB reflecting the larger energy and toxic effect of UVC along with significant difference in UV induced toxicity between AA8 and UV5 cell lines. This was further validated through the HPRT assay, which also showed a significant difference in UVC (5 J/m(2)) induced mutagenic effect between these cell lines. In addition, HPRT assay showed the mutagenic effect of photosensitizer, acetophenone. These results show that UVB and UVC generate serious damage through photo products on DNA, and might induce the metabolic activity of CYP1A1.


ISO 9001 Quality Management System is one of the ISO 9000 set of standards that provides a series of guidelines on how to establish a quality system to manage the processes that affect its product or services. There are many benefits offered by ISO but it doesn't mean if a company managed to secure the certification, they will be able to experience all the beneficial outcomes. Construction companies that wish to implement the system should be prepared for the upcoming obstacles that might be encountered during the process. The objectives of this research are to identify the benefits of implementing ISO 9001 Quality Management System in the Malaysian construction companies, to identify the problems faced by construction companies in implementing ISO 9001 Quality Management System and to identify the strategies adopted by the ISO certified construction companies in overcoming or minimizing the implementation problems. Case study approach has been selected to collect data for this research. For the purpose of the case study, five construction companies were selected to be interviewed. One representative form each company is interviewed in order to get more information from their perspective regarding the benefits, problems and strategies for the implementation of ISO 9001 QMS. The research findings concluded that improved company's management & work efficiency as the most important benefit from the implementation of the system while lack of awareness on the system among staff is the most significant problem. It is suggested training and audit (internal and external) need to be enhanced to overcome those implementation problems.


In stereo vision, self-similar or bland regions can make it difficult to match patches between two images. Active stereo-based methods mitigate this problem by projecting a pseudo-random pattern on the scene so that each patch of an image pair can be identified without ambiguity. However, the projected pattern significantly alters the appearance of the image. If this pattern acts as a form of adversarial noise, it could negatively impact the performance of deep learning-based methods, which are now the de-facto standard for dense stereo vision. In this paper, we propose the Active-Passive SimStereo dataset and a corresponding benchmark to evaluate the performance gap between passive and active stereo images for stereo matching algorithms. Using the proposed benchmark and an additional ablation study, we show that the feature extraction and matching modules of a selection of twenty selected deep learning-based stereo matching methods generalize to active stereo without a problem. However, the disparity refinement modules of three of the twenty architectures (ACVNet, CascadeStereo, and StereoNet) are negatively affected by the active stereo patterns due to their reliance on the appearance of the input images.


CASE A 40 year old female presented with a history of cough for 1.5 years and diarrhea for 5 days. She further had a history of pinkish discoloration of skin and red-crusted papules on the anterior and posterior parts of the trunk. Chest X-ray and chest CTScan revealed focal nodular densities in lung besides an anterior mediastinal mass. The mediastinal mass was surgically removed and the pathologic diagnosis was a lymphocytic type of thymoma (Fig. 1). Laboratory data showed low albumin (2.9 gr/dl), high alkaline phosphatase (1448 units/l), high SGOT and SGPT (107 units/l and 128 units/l, respectively) with total billirubin of 1.38 (mg/dl), direct billirubin of 0.52 (mg/dl) and γGt: 440 (Normal < 40). Other positive findings included ANA: 1/640 speckled pattern, low hemoglobin: 9.1 (g/dl), mild eosinophilia (595/mm 3 ) and positive occult blood in stool, with normal WBC, BUN, Na, K, Ca, PO4 and uric acid. Serum immunoelectrophoresis, abdominal sonography, fine needle aspiration of liver and endoscopic retrograde cholongiography were all normal. The report of skin biopsy indicated a lichen planus bolus type lesion. Colonoscopy detected points of inflammation with thick mucosa and biopsy was in favor of ulcerative colitis. Due to severe photophobia, she had previously consulted with an ophthalmologist revealing keratoconjuctivits sicca due to dry eye. Four months later, she was expired due to severe pneumonia and sepsis.


BACKGROUND
In the US, obesity continues to be a severe health issue now affecting adolescents. Bariatric surgery remains the most effective treatment for obesity, but use among adolescents remains low. The objective of this study was to identify current national trends in bariatric surgery among adolescents.

STUDY DESIGN
Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database, adolescents aged 9 to 19 with a diagnosis of morbid obesity who underwent a laparoscopic gastric bypass (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass) or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG) between 2015 and 2018 were identified. Demographics, comorbidities, and in-hospital complications were collected. National estimates were calculated. The trend of annual number of operations was determined by Kruskal-Wallis rank test.

RESULTS
Between 2015 and 2018, 1,203 adolescents were identified, resulting in a nationwide estimate of 4,807 bariatric cases. The number of bariatric operations increased annually from 1,360 in 2015 to 1,740 operations in 2018 (p = 0.0771). The majority of patients were female (76%), 17 to 19 years old (84.1%), and White (47.9%). Most patients underwent SG (82.0%). Black and Hispanic patients comprised 40.2% of the cohort. Significant comorbidities included diabetes, dyslipidemia, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, hypertension, and sleep apnea. The average length of stay decreased from 2.12 days to 1.64 days. There were no in-hospital mortalities, and complications were less than 1%.

CONCLUSIONS
With the increasing prevalence of obesity among adolescents in the US, bariatric surgery increased over time but was performed less in patients younger than 16 years of age and racial minorities. Bariatric surgery among adolescents remains safe, with extremely low complication rates and zero in-hospital mortality.


: A trial involving 6,169 feedlot calves was conducted under commercial feedlot conditions in western Canada to compare the relative efficacy of treatment with a combination of oxfendazole and fenthion (O/F) versus ivermectin (I) with respect to the outcome variables, final weight, gain, days on feed (DOF), dry matter intake (DMI), average daily gain (ADG), dry matter intake to gain ratio (DM:G), and morbidity, mortality, and carcass grade parameters.There were no significant differences (p >/= 0.05) between the treatment groups for final weight, gain, DOF, DMI, ADG and DM:G. In addition, there were no significant differences (p >/= 0.05) in the carcass grading parameters between the treatment groups. The bovine respiratory disease (BRD) relapse rates, the overall mortality rates, and the cause specific mortality rates were not significantly different (p >/= 0.05) between the treatment groups. The BRD treatment rate in the O/F group was significantly lower (p </= 0.05) than in the I group, but this difference was not economically important.These data indicate that a combination of oxfendazole and fenthion is comparable to ivermectin with respect to performance, animal health, and carcass grade parameters.


The extent of Holmes's dominance in our perceptions of late-Victorian detective fiction might lead one to the conclusion that Doyle was the most successful practitioner of detective fiction, even if he did not invent the genre or the scientific method. But even this is not altogether correct. Why, then, does Holmes loom so large in the history of detective fiction? In the first part of this chapter I will examine some of the late-Victorian detective fiction against which Doyle defined his 'new' detective, before exploring the influence of Edgar Allan Poe and Emile Gaboriau. I will then survey some of Holmes's competitors and consider the reasons why he eventually prevailed in shaping the direction that the genre would take. The final part of the chapter traces the course of Holmes's influence in the development of the whodunit and hardboiled American private eye thrillers as well as the wider field of the crime writing.


Background: Obesity in Indian women had increased from 10.6% to 14.8% in India. Mothers who are overweight or obese during pregnancy and childbirth cause significant antenatal, intrapartum, postpartum and also neonatal complications. Aim and Objective: The present study aimed to explore various maternal and fetal outcomes influenced by maternal obesity. The objective was to find the effect of obesity on maternal and perinatal outcome among obese pregnant women compared to those of normal weight. Methods: The study was conducted in antenatal women attending antenatal outpatient department of of Obstetrics and Gynecology in a teriary care referral hospital in Mumbai. Results recorded in simple percentages. Results: Eighteen percent cases developed gestational diabetes mellitus during their antenatal period and 15% developed gestational hypertension. 44% patients underwent lower segment caesarean section. The need for induction of labour and caesarean section was found to be 37% which is significantly higher. Increased NICU admissions due to hypoglycemia or congenital malformations,prematurity was found to be on a higher side. Conclusions: It was clearly evident from the present study that maternal obesity had adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Maternal obesity was strongly associated with antenatal complications like gestational diabetes mellitus, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia and increase in need for induction of labour and operative interference.


The article presents information on sex, geographic mobility and career development. Over the past four decades, major changes in the extent and nature of female labor force participation have led to increased concern about the under-representation and lower pay of women in professional and managerial positions. Social scientists have offered a number of explanations for these disparities. One such explanation asserts that, with increasing career aspirations among women and greater prevalence of dual career marriages, sex differences in geographic mobility for occupational advancement are one barrier to women's career advancement. Both human capital theory and the crowding hypothesis suggest that lesser geographic mobility among women contributes to sex stratification in the labor force, and there is evidence that geographic mobility is related to income and occupational status. In addition, willingness to move may be valued by managers as a sign of organizational commitment.


In today's global economy, the flow of information is essential for the growth of international commerce and for the cross border access for both B2B and B2C services. The e-commerce phenomenon has elevated the privacy issue to a global platform. This paper examines the extent to which sample firms in four European countries post privacy notices on their websites. While posted privacy policy does not necessarily mean compliance with privacy protection policy, the absence of it indicates failure to comply with the most basic principle of privacy protection. We also reviewed the posted privacy policies of 425 firms and evaluated them against their corresponding country's directives as well as fair information policies of the US. Descriptive statistics from the collected data provide a preliminary indication of how privacy practices are observed in our samples of four European countries.


Glucose tolerance and insulin secretion have been measured in twenty-three obese maturity-onset diabetics (twelve high-insulin secretors and eleven lowor normal-insulin secretors) on first presentation and after 10 weeks on a low-calorie diet. There was a significant improvement in glucose tolerance alone, when the results were compared with those from diabetics not on any form of treatment. Thereafter nine of these subjects (five high-insulin secretors and four low- or normal-insulin secretors) continued on the dietary therapy alone, and eleven of the remaining fourteen subjects (six high-insulin secretors and five low- or normal-insulin secretors) continued on the low-calorie diet with the addition of fenfluramine, and their glucose tolerance and insulin secretion were measured again after a further 10 weeks. The remaining three subjects were no longer studied. The nine subjects continuing on the diet alone showed maintenance of the improvement in glucose tolerance achieved during the first 10-week period with no significant change in insulin secretion. The eleven subjects placed on fenfluramine in addition to the diet also showed maintenance of the improvement in glucose tolerance achieved during the first 10-week period with a significant decrease in insulin secretion in the six high-insulin secreting subjects and no significant change in insulin secretion in the five lowor normal-secretors.


The phase diagram of spin-3/2 fermionic cold atoms trapped in a one-dimensional optical lattice is investigated at quarter filling (one atom per site) by means of large-scale numerical simulations. In full agreement with a recent low-energy approach, we find two phases with confined and deconfined Cooper pairs separated by an Ising quantum phase transition. The leading instability in the confined phase is an atomic-density wave with subdominant quartet superfluid instability made of four fermions. Finally, we reveal the existence of a bond-ordered Mott insulating phase in some part of the repulsive regime.


Prior work has proposed different theoretical mechanisms to explain students' course-taking patterns in schools. On the one hand, there are oversocialized accounts that claim that rules, social background factors, and supply-side factors shape observed career patterns. On the other hand, there are undersocialized accounts that claim that the decisions of strategic agents and demand-side dynamics shape course-taking careers. In this article, the authors use simulations to illustrate how these theoretical mechanisms can generate course-taking patterns. Grounding the simulations in empirical data on the mathematics course taking of students in two high schools, they assess the relative merits of these competing theories by testing how closely observed and predicted career patterns align. The results reveal that the characteristics of students and the organizational rules and requirements of course-taking career systems render certain allocation mechanisms more salient than others. In particular, highly competitive and structurally constrained systems are shaped by supply dynamics, while less regulated systems of diverse populations are shaped by agent-based decision making.


Background: Crohn's disease is associated with deranged intestinal permeability in vivo, suggesting dysfunction of tight junctions. The luminal contents are important for development of neoinflammation following resection. Regulation of tight junctions by luminal factors has not previously been studied in Crohn's disease. Aims: The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of a luminal stimulus, known to affect tight junctions, on the distal ileum in patients with Crohn's disease. Patients: Surgical specimens from the distal ileum of patients with Crohn's disease (n=12) were studied, and ileal specimens from colon cancer patients (n=13) served as controls. Methods: Mucosal permeability to 51Cr-EDTA and electrical resistance were studied in Ussing chambers during luminal exposure to sodium caprate (a constituent of milk fat, affecting tight junctions) or to buffer only. The mechanisms involved were studied by mucosal ATP levels, and by electron and confocal microscopy. Results: Baseline permeability was the same in non-inflamed ileum of Crohn's disease and controls. Sodium caprate induced a rapid increase in paracellular permeability—that is, increased permeation of 51Cr-EDTA and decreased electrical resistance—which was more pronounced in non-inflamed ileum of Crohn's disease, and electron microscopy showed dilatations within the tight junctions. Moreover, sodium caprate induced disassembly of perijunctional filamentous actin was more pronounced in Crohn's disease mucosa. Mucosal permeability changes were accompanied by mitochondrial swelling and a fall in epithelial ATP content, suggesting uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation. Conclusions: The tight junctions in the non-inflamed distal ileum of Crohn's disease were more reactive to luminal stimuli, possibly mediated via disturbed cytoskeletal contractility. This could contribute to the development of mucosal neoinflammation in Crohn's disease.


Reflexive teaching is built by critical teachers who analyze their theories and practices while they dedicate to the whole of their actions, reflecting with their peers over their teaching and the social conditions in which their experiences are inserted, always in a collective manner. I believe that reflexivity is built, necessarily, by discussions that seek to found with theory the daily decision-making towards an increasingly more intentional and less naive action. In a public municipal school in the city of Campinas, Brazil, we carried out a formativeinvestigative project between the years of 2003 and 2008. We sought, in the formative project, to promote the teachers' professional development in the collective quest for overcoming the daily dilemmas through reflexivity, as well as in the shared construction of the school's pedagogical project aimed at improving the teaching and learning process. In the investigative project, we sought to understand the teachers' reflexivity process by means of a critical analysis on the levels of reflexive logic in the collective quest for overcoming daily dilemmas and shared construction of the school's political-pedagogical project. We opted to perform four data production procedures: Semi-structured interviews and recurrent interviews; written production analysis; and transcription of audio recordings of the meetings. Using the Indiciary Paradigm, in short, we seek to show with this formativeinvestigative project that the reflexivity process can be potentialized by certain strategies: not any one, not for any group of teachers, but those that are adequate and adjusted.


Although several Toxoplasma gondii genotyping studies have been performed in Brazil, studies of isolates from animals in the state of Minas Gerais are rare. The objective of this study was to conduct a genotypic characterization of T. gondii isolates obtained from dogs, free-range chickens, and humans in Minas Gerais and to verify whether the T. gondii genotypes circulating in domestic animals correspond to the genotypes detected in humans. Genetic variability was assessed by restricted fragment length polymorphism at 11 loci (SAG1, 5′+3′SAG2, SAG2 alt, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, and Apico). Twelve different genotypes were identified among the 24 isolates studied, including 8 previously identified genotypes and 4 new genotypes. The genetic relationship of the 24 T. gondii isolates, together with the genotypes previously described from 24 human newborns with congenital toxoplasmosis, revealed a high degree of similarity among the genotypes circulating in humans and animals in Minas Gerais. The most common genotypes among these species were BrII, BrIII, ToxoDB #108, and ToxoDB #206. Restricted fragment length polymorphism at the CS3 locus of these 48 isolates showed that the majority of isolates presented alleles I (50%) or II (27%). Isolates harboring allele III at the CS3 locus presented low virulence for mice, whereas those harboring alleles I or II presented higher virulence. These results confirm the utility of marker CS3 for predicting the virulence of Brazilian isolates of T. gondii in mice. No association was found between the allele type and clinical manifestations of human congenital toxoplasmosis. This is the first report of T. gondii genotyping that verifies the overlapping genotypes of T. gondii from humans and animals in the same geographic region of Brazil. Our results suggest that there is a common source of infection to the species studied, most likely oocysts contaminating the environment.


Cesium (Cs) is chemically similar to potassium (K). However, although K is an essential element, Cs is toxic to plants. Two contrasting hypotheses to explain Cs toxicity have been proposed: (1) extracellular Cs+ prevents K+ uptake and, thereby, induces K starvation; and (2) intracellular Cs+ interacts with vital K+-binding sites in proteins, either competitively or noncompetitively, impairing their activities. We tested these hypotheses with Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Increasing the Cs concentration in the agar ([Cs]agar) on which Arabidopsis were grown reduced shoot growth. Increasing the K concentration in the agar ([K]agar) increased the [Cs]agar at which Cs toxicity was observed. However, although increasing [Cs]agar reduced shoot K concentration ([K]shoot), the decrease in shoot growth appeared unrelated to [K]shoot per se. Furthermore, the changes in gene expression in Cs-intoxicated plants differed from those of K-starved plants, suggesting that Cs intoxication was not perceived genetically solely as K starvation. In addition to reducing [K]shoot, increasing [Cs]agar also increased shoot Cs concentration ([Cs]shoot), but shoot growth appeared unrelated to [Cs]shoot per se. The relationship between shoot growth and [Cs]shoot/[K]shoot suggested that, at a nontoxic [Cs]shoot, growth was determined by [K]shoot but that the growth of Cs-intoxicated plants was related to the [Cs]shoot/[K]shoot quotient. This is consistent with Cs intoxication resulting from competition between K+ and Cs+ for K+-binding sites on essential proteins.


The digital revolution is creating new risks, together with multiple opportunities for communication, commerce and political participation. What Ulrich Beck described as the world risk society and what – from another perspective – Jürgen Habermas calls the "postnational constellation" is a challenge to our concepts of society and democracy. Digitisation is pushing this development towards a new dimension that allows us to speak of the "digital constellation". Social relations are denser across borders and continents; what happens there matters here, as if it were happening on our own doorstep. New kinds of risks are arising as a side-effect of the increasing use of information technologies, while the internet also offers – for the first time – an infrastructure that makes formerly unrealistic concepts of cosmopolitan democracy (David Held) a real option. This includes the establishment of a constitutional framework for normative processes aiming at managing effectively, among other global challenges, cyber-risks at national, supra-national and global levels in a coherent way. Multilevel Constitutionalism is proposed as a means of providing a normative theory for conceptualising the constitutional structure of a layered system of governance that ensures a maximum degree of self-determination for the individual and, thus, for the democratic legitimacy of decisions made at each level, from local to global. Thus, the constitution for democratically legitimate action at the global level does not question democracy at other levels, but should be complementary, based upon functioning states, and designed to deal with issues that are beyond their reach, including cybersecurity.


The smart shower is an intelligent device that saves the water during the shower. It uses the indicator lamps that inform the user of the amount of the water. Like the traffic signal it has three sets of lamps, green, yellow and red, each indicating the amount of time spent. This device brain is the Siemens Logo PLC.