Recombinant FVIIa (Novoseven ® ) was initially developed for the treatment of bleeding in patient with congenital hemophilia with antibodies against factors VIII and IX and FVII deficiency. The mechanism of action is to induce hemostasis at the site of injury both by forming complexes with exposed tissue factor and by directly activating factor X upon the surface of an activated platelet. More recently it has begun to use gradually in the management of bleeding patient without congenital coagulation defect. We report the successful use of recombinant factor VIIa in a pediatric patient who has intractable gastrointestinal bleeding despite of conventional medical therapy. Case: The patient is a 13-year-old female and her body weight is only 10 kg, with a prior history of cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Recently she presented a recurrent massive hematemesis and melena probably due to stress ulcer for 8 days. She had no personal or family history of a suggestive bleeding disorder. The patient had a normal platelet count and coagulation screening test. Her hospital course was complicated by recurrent gastrointestinal hemorrhage but an endoscopic intervention was not permitted due to her poor condition. Despite of conventional medication with omeprazole and sucralfate over 20 days, she suffered from recurrent hematemesis and melena. In the gastrointestinal bleeding scan with 99m Tc-labeled RBCs, small intestinal hemorrhage was found. The following day, the patient was given three doses of Novoseven ® at 100 μg/kg, as bolus doses with 2 hour interval, which resulted in resolution of hematemesis and melena after last dose administration. Although she had mild whole body rash after third dose administration, it was subsided soon after medication of antihistamine and steroid. No evidence of hemorrhage was documented at a follow-up gastrointestinal bleeding scan that was taken after 4 days later of treatment. The patient made a full recovery and no further treatment was required. Conclusion: We suggest that low dose of recombinant FVIIa (Novoseven ® ) were effective in treatment of pediatric intractable gastrointestinal hemorrhage.


Three deaf women with widely varying stories share their experiences in this unique collection, revealing the vast differences in the circumstances of their lives, but also striking similarities. In Bainy Cyrus s "All Eyes," she vividly describes her life as a young child who was taught using the oral method at the Clarke School for the Deaf in Northampton, MA. Her account of the methods used (for example, repeating the same word over and over again, as many as 35 times), animates the extraordinary amount of work performed by deaf children to learn to read and speak. Cyrus also relates the importance of her lifelong friendships with two girls she met at Clarke, and how the different paths that they took influenced her as an adult. Eileen Katz s story, as told to Celeste Cheyney, offers a glimpse into a deaf girl s life a generation before Cyrus. In "Making Sense of It All: The Battle of Britain Through a Jewish Deaf Girl s Eyes," Katz juxtaposes the gradual learning of the words "who," "what," "where," and "why" with the confusing events of 1938 to 1941. As she and her fellow students grasped the meanings of these questions, they also realized the threat from the Nazi air attacks upon England. Katz also understood the compound jeopardy that she and her classmates faced by being both deaf and Jewish. In contrast to the predominantly oral orientation of Cyrus and Katz, Frances M. Parsons writes of a year-long journey overseas in 1976 to lecture about Total Communication. Parsons traveled to Iran, India, Ceylon, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei, the Philippines, Australia, and seven countries in Africa to teach administrators, teachers, and deaf students to communicate using sign, speechreading, writing, and any other means available. Her harrowing and fascinating anecdotes detail visits to ministries of education, schools, hospitals, clinics, palaces, hovels for the poorest of the poor, and all kinds of residential homes and apartments. Taken together, her travels testify to the aptness of her title "I Dared!" The combined effect of these three Deaf women s stories, despite the variation in their experiences, reveals the common thread that weaves through the lives of all deaf individuals."


Background. At an appointment with an ophthalmologist, patients with pathological conditions of the eyelids are often dissatisfi ed with the effectiveness of the traditional surgical treatment.The aim: assessment of the functional state of the eye adnexa after cryodestruction of the chalazion with an increased risk of complications using modern cryosurgical equipment.Material and methods. Clinical studies were carried out in 254 patients (277 eyes) with chalazion, including a complicated course of the disease, with cryodestruction of the chalazion using an autonomous cryoapplicator made of porous-permeable titanium nickelide.Results. Cryosystems of the new generation, in comparison with the well-known industrial cryoapparatus, diff er in new properties. They can signifi cantly improve the quality of cryotherapy in surgery due to a clearer localization of cryotherapy and a high rate of heat removal from the surface of altered tissues without damaging the surrounding tissues. Depending on the size of the pathological formation, the duration of the exposure, the frequency of repetitions of the applications during the session, the regression of the chalazion occurred within 1–1.5 months with the preservation of the integrity of the intermarginal space and the functional state of the eyelid.Conclusion. Analysis of the data obtained indicates a high clinical and cosmetic effi ciency of cryosurgery of the eyelid chalazion using an autonomous cryoapplicator made of porous-permeable titanium nickelide.


ABSTRACT Hosts and viruses are locked in an evolutionary arms race. Hosts are constantly evolving to suppress virulence and replication, while viruses, which are reliant on host machinery for survival and reproduction, develop counterstrategies to escape this immune defense. Viruses must also adapt to novel conditions while establishing themselves in a host species. Both processes provide strong selection for viral adaptation. Understanding adaptive evolution in insect viruses can help us to better understand adaptive evolution in general and is important due to the use of these viruses as biocontrol agents and for protecting ecologically or economically important species from outbreaks. Here we examine the molecular evolution of baculoviruses and nudiviruses, a group of insect-infecting viruses with key roles in biocontrol. We looked for signatures of selection between genomes of baculoviruses infecting a range of species and within a population of baculoviruses. Both analyses found only a few strong signatures of positive selection, primarily in replication- and transcription-associated genes and several structural protein genes. In both analyses, we detected a conserved complex of genes, including the helicase gene, showing consistently high levels of adaptive evolution, suggesting that they may be key in antagonistic coevolution to escape host suppression. These genes are integral to the baculovirus life cycle and may be good focal genes for developing baculoviruses as effective biocontrol agents or for targeting baculoviruses infecting ecologically relevant species. Recombination and complex genomes make evolution in these double-stranded DNA viruses more efficient than that in smaller RNA viruses with error-prone replication, as seen via signatures of selection in specific genes within a population of baculoviruses. IMPORTANCE Most viral evolutionary studies focus on RNA viruses. While these viruses cause many human and animal diseases, such studies leave us with a lesser understanding of how DNA viruses adapt to hosts and how the host responds to these pathogens. In this paper, we focus on the evolution of baculoviruses, a group of insect-infecting DNA viruses, many of which have been used in biocontrol. We find that most of the genome is under purifying selection, with only a few key genes evolving adaptively. Our results provide a glimpse into how DNA viruses differ from RNA viruses in their evolutionary dynamics and identify genes that are key to DNA virus adaptation, improving our understanding of how this group of pathogens evolves.


Spiders are found everywhere, and though the majority are harmless the few that are poisonous are often underestimated in their harmfulness. Of the poisonous varieties, the Latrodectus mactans, more commonly called in the United States of America the "Black Widow" (because of its color which is shiny black and its habit of killing its mate), and the clinical manifestations following its bite, are familiar to American and Latin American physicians because of the prevalence of the spider in the United States, especially in the southern and western states, and in South America. Bogen (1) states that 150 cases have been reported by thirty physicians in the United States alone.
I wish to invite the attention of those who are interested in the clinical aspect of spider bite to a special kind of poisonous spider commonly found in some parts of the Philippines, particularly Mindanao and neighboring islands.


For a new programming language to success, it must pursue two goals. The first goal is a quick access to the language. The second goal is an easy reaching to other users and experts. Many new programing languages such as python and ruby address the first well by providing an online interactive prompt [4, 5]. However, they have yet addressed the second goal well enough. This project tries a new approach to address the second. It explores a new way to make it easy for user to reach to other users and experts. Specifically, this project experiments a way to create such environment for Julia [6]. We begins with a solution, a design and an implementation, followed by installation and conclusion.


ABSTRACT Background: Acupuncture has been widely used for alleviating pain. However, its mechanisms remain largely enigmatic. Objective: In the present study, we focused on whether the analgesic effect of electroacupuncture is related to its regulation on adenosine and substance P expression. Methods: We established chronic inflammatory pain model in rats through a single injection of Complete Freund's Adjuvant, and then we treated animals using daily electroacupuncture. We applied seven bilateral sessions of electroacupuncture (ST36 and BL60, 0.5 to 1.5 mA, initial strength of 0.5 mA, increased by 0.5 mA every 10 minutes, for 30 minutes per session, one section per day) to Complete Freund's Adjuvant rats for seven days. The analgesic effect of electroacupuncture was evaluated by measuring paw withdrawal threshold in rats that received mechanical and thermal stimulation. Results: Daily electroacupuncture stimulation effectively increased paw withdrawal threshold in Complete Freund's Adjuvant rats. Electroacupuncture increased the adenosine level in zusanli. A further study showed that electroacupuncture could decrease substance P, neurokinin-1 receptor, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1β, interleukin-6 and CD68 levels in dorsal root ganglion. Interestingly, direct injection of adenosine A1 or substance P receptor antagonists, or dorsal nerve root transection could significantly impair electroacupuncture induced analgesic actions in Complete Freund's Adjuvant rats could and reduce the levels of substance P, neurokinin-1 receptor, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1β, interleukin-6 and CD68. Finally, we confirmed that direct injection of adenosine A1 receptor agonist replicated the analgesic effect of electroacupuncture. Conclusion: Our results indicate regulation of adenosine-mediated substance P secretion. Substance P-mediated pathway may be involved in the analgesia process by electroacupuncture in rats.


This textbook is a broad but rigorous survey of the theoretical basis for the design, definition, and implementation of programming languages, and of systems for specifying and proving program behavior. It encompasses imperative and functional programming, as well as the ways of integrating these aspects into more general languages. Basic concepts and their properties are described with mathematical rigor, but the mathematical development is balanced by numerous examples of applications, particularly of program specification and proof, concurrent programming, functional programming (including the use of continuations and lazy evaluation), and type systems (including subtyping, polymorphism, and modularization). Assuming only knowledge of elementary programming, this text is perfect for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate courses in programming language theory, and will also appeal to researchers and professionals in designing or implementing computer languages.


Summary Winter freezing injury is one of the most important factors limiting grapevine production. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of foliar potassium sulphate (K2SO4) fertilisation on the cold-hardiness of 'Bidaneh Sefid' grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.). Four concentrations of potassium sulphate [0.0, 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0% (w/v)] were sprayed to run-off on all leaves of each plant on five occasions at 2-week intervals starting on 11 June 2011. Cane samples were collected on 25 December 2011 and 23 February 2012 and analysed for their carbohydrate, proline, and protein concentrations, then exposed to 3 h freezing treatment between 0ºC and –30ºC, at intervals of 3ºC, to assess their level of cold-hardiness. The results showed that increased K2SO4 concentrations resulted in increased carbohydrate, proline, and protein concentrations. The latter increases were greater in cane samples collected in December 2011 than in February 2012, for which the levels of cold-hardiness were also lower. LT50 values (i.e., the lethal temperature at which 50% of tissues died) were estimated by the tetrazolium stain test and by electrolyte leakage measurements. The results indicated that K2SO4 sprays significantly increased cold-hardiness. Significant positive correlations were found between the results of both the tetrazolium stain tests and electrolyte leakage measurements and carbohydrate, proline, and protein concentrations in the cane samples. Compared to the canes, the buds were more vulnerable to cold-injury in December and in February. We conclude that the application of five K2SO4 sprays during the growing season has the capacity to increase the freezing tolerance of grapevine ('Bidaneh Sefid') and could be used as a prophylactic tool to reduce freezing injury during the Winter.


ABSTRACT Media diversity studies regularly invoke the notion of marketing images as mirrors of racism and sexism. This article develops a higher-order concept of marketing images as "mirrors of intersectionality." Drawing on a seven-dimensional study of coverperson diversity in a globalizing mediascape, the emergent concept highlights that marketing images reflect not just racism and sexism, but all categorical forms of marginalization, including ableism, ageism, colorism, fatism, and heterosexism, as well as intersectional forms of marginalization, such as sexist ageism and racist multiculturalism. Fueled by the legacies of history, aspirational marketing logics, and an industry-wide distribution of discriminatory work, marketing images help to perpetuate multiple, cumulative, and enduring advantages for privileged groups and disadvantages for marginalized groups. In this sense, marketing images, as mirrors of intersectionality, are complicit agents in the structuration of inequitable societies.


A model of production assignment (PA) planning and equipment changeover scheduling (ECSP) for printed wiring board (PWB) assembly systems at the aggregate level is developed. In the described model, three kinds of equipment changeover methods, i.e. adding machine, removing machine and transferring machine, are involved. Since the ECSP model is a large-scale integer-programming problem, two approximate solution approaches for single period problem are described, which will provide a search space for finding a solution to the multiple-period problem. Computational experiments confirm the conclusions.


Constructing facet junction in semiconductor photocatalysts has been demonstrated as an effective method to promote charge-carrier separation and suppress carrier recombination. Herein, we proposed a novel but facile self-doping strategy to regulate the crystal facet exposure ratio in ferroelectric Bi3TixNb2-xO9 single-crystalline nanosheets, thereby optimizing its facet junction effect. Through tuning the atomic ratio of Ti and Nb, the exposure ratio of {001} and {110} crystal planes in Bi3TixNb2-xO9 nanosheets can be delicately modulated, and more {110} facets were exposed with the increase of the Ti/Nb atomic ratio as evidenced by the X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy results. A facet junction between {110} and {001} crystal planes was verified based on the density functional theory calculation and photodeposition experiment results. Photogenerated electrons tend to accumulate in {110}, while holes gathered in {001} crystal planes. Owing to the optimal facet junction effect, the sample of Ti1.05 shows the most efficient charge-carrier separation and transportation compared to Ti0.95 and Ti1.00 as supported by the photoluminescence, surface photovoltage, photoelectrochemistry, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) results. In addition, the oxygen vacancy arising from the inequivalent substitution of Nb5+ by Ti4+ as proved by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and EPR results and the enhanced ferroelectricity supported by P-E loops can also assist charge-carrier separation and migration. Benefiting from these properties, Ti1.05 outperformed Ti0.95 and Ti1.00 in the photodegradation of organic dye and antibiotic molecules. Meanwhile, the excellent antibacterial activity of Ti1.05 under visible light was also demonstrated by the Escherichia coli sterilization experiment. This work not only presents a novel pathway to adjust the facet junction but also provides new deep insights into the crystal facet engineering in ferroelectrics as photocatalysts.


Counterpoint manuals have long been central to the music education of composers, historians, and theorists. In this book a conductor uses counterpoint exercises to aid musicians in becoming sensitive to the fundamental ingredients of good music making. The author takes the reader step by step through the composition and performance of the counterpoint species, from unaccompanied lines to complex three part exercises. Each genre of counterpoint is preceded by a discussion of the musical element it introduces - line (cantus firmus), harmonic interval (two-part counterpoint), dissonance (second to fourth species), and rhythm (fifth species). "Write-throughs", which illustrate the composition of an exercise from start to finish, are included for each species. Throughout, the author focuses on the experience of musical beauty, recognizing that it results from the contribution of both composer and performer. Thus each exercise is successful only when it is composed, and performed, so that it allows this experience. And as each new element of music is introduced, its effect on the experience of beauty is considered. This book should have value for a wide range of readers, from accomplished soloists and composers to near beginners. It aims to advance conscious understanding of the principles of good music making, yet the reader needs to know little more at the outset than the major and minor scales, a few key signatures, and the names of intervals.


The author scrutinizes the relations between social movements and the national guestion as they developed in the Slovene-speaking regions during a period of 150 years, starting with the revolution of 1848 and ending with the declaration of independence in 1991. The geographical framework being rather narrow, a perspective of longue duree has been chosen. The contacts between the movements within the society, the political programs and the cultural practice on the one hand and the search for a national identity and an international role on the other are investigated. An attempt is made to explain why the idea of an independent state - despite the growing integration in the European Union - has achieved such a strong consensus in the Slovene society, invoking some of the political programs which had mobilized a large part of the population during the last two centuries.


This work is inspired by the question "Can 100 speakers talk for 30 minutes each in one room within one hour and with zero interference to each other's audience?" posed by Cadambe and Jafar at the 45th Allerton conference 2007, see [1]. We consider the problem of how many transmitter-receiver pairs can be placed such that each desired link may use half of the channel time free of interference from unintended transmissions. The answer is given in the title: at least n pairs, i.e., 2n stations can be positioned in the (n - 1)-dimensional Euclidean space such that complete interference alignment in time is achieved. Regular patterns with equal distances between receivers and transmitters, respectively, are the solution. The basic methodology for achieving this result is borrowed from the field of distance geometry.


This study examined the effects of prostaglandin-F2alpha (PGF2alpha), GnRH, and their interactions on steroidogenesis in human granulosa-luteal cells (GLCs). Human GLCs collected from in vitro fertilization patients were cultured for one or eight days, followed by a 24-h treatment period, after which media were collected and radioimmunoassayed for progesterone and estradiol. In the first experiment, GLCs were treated with vehicle, PGF2alpha (10(-9) M), GnRH (10(-6) M), or PGF2alpha plus GnRH, with or without hCG (1 IU/ml). Neither PGF2alpha nor GnRH alone had a significant effect; however, the combination of PGF2alpha plus GnRH significantly stimulated steroidogenesis. Similarly, co-application enhanced the luteolytic effects of PGF2alpha. In a second experiment, PGF2alpha and GnRH concentration-response curves were crossed into a matrix of 49 separate treatments. Responses were plotted in three-dimensions and as two-dimensional "slices" that were analyzed statistically. In the presence of high concentrations of GnRH (10(-6) M), PGF2alpha stimulated progesterone production in a biphasic manner, as middle concentrations significantly stimulated (10(-9) M) whereas low and high concentrations did not. In the presence of middle concentrations of PGF2alpha (10(-9) M), GnRH significantly stimulated progesterone production in a linear concentration-dependent manner. Similar complexities were seen with respect to estradiol response. Thus, in the human GLC, GnRH potentiates the luteolytic effects of PGF2alpha, while it acts as a permissive factor for the luteotropic effects. Furthermore, we have revealed the complex interaction of these hormones using a three-dimensional experimental design.


The Taylor Reading Plus program is an eye movement training software which comprises of Core Programs such as PAVE (Perceptual Accuracy/Visual Efficiency) and Guided Reading. In this study, the Reading Plus program was used to determine if home-based computerized eye movements training could improve occulomotor skills during reading. The occulomotor skills and reading rate (with comprehension) of 70 subjects were measured during reading using the Visagraph II. The Visagraph ll provided data on reading rate, fixation, regression, and other variables for each paragraph read. Thirty of the initial 70 subjects who originaJly agreed to participate in this study were designated as "controls" and would receive no intervention, other than assessment. Forty subjects were designated as "experimental subjects" and would participate in ten-weeks of web based on-line PAVE and Guided Reading computerized eye movement training. Only five of the original 40 experimental subjects completed the voluntary training regimen (for a variety of reasons, described in the "discussion section" of this paper). Results from the five subjects who completed the prescribed on-line training regimen are presented in this paper in a "case report format style. Data from the five subjects is highly suggestive that PAVE and Guided Reading programs may be effective in improving oculomotor and reading skills for non-reading disabled adult readers.


Globalization has increased in recent decades, resulting in structural changes of production and labor demand. This paper examines how the increased global engagement of firms affects the structure of the workforce. We find that the aggregate distribution of occupations in Sweden has become more skilled between 1997 and 2013. Moreover, firms with a high degree of international orientation have a relatively skilled distribution of occupations and firms with low international orientation have a relatively unskilled distribution of occupations. High- and low-skilled occupations have increased in importance whereas middle-skilled occupations have declined with a resulting job polarization. We also discuss and analyze the role played by new technology and automatization.


Nowadays, direct current (DC) machines are widely used in various applications thanks to its ease control and natural decoupling between its grandeur: flux and torque. In most industrial processes, it is essential to master certain physical parameters, so it is very often necessary to have recourse to a control. The work presented in this paper is based on the modeling and control of the PWM Converter-DC Machine drive chain. Firstly, we used a PI regulator for closed loop (CL) speed and current control. From the obtained results, it is noted that, the rotational speed and the current can be controlled separately. Indeed, knowing that the regulator parameters are essentially calculated as a function of the machine parameters, and that in practice the machine parameters vary over time, where this variation influences the control degradation, for this, a control strategy based on the fuzzy logic technique has been developed and applied. The basic idea is to transmit the richness of human reasoning from fuzzy logic to a computer under "if ....then" rules form. It does not process a well-defined mathematical relationship, but it uses inferences with several rules based on linguistic variables. In order to find a fast response and high dynamic performance, a comparative study between the classical PI and the fuzzy regulator as well as the study of the robustness related to the parametric variations were presented and analyzed. The modeling and control simulation of the whole system was carried out under MatLab/Simulink. The results show that the use of fuzzy logic for the control gives good results as well as good robustness.


(3-Mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MTS) forms a unique film on a platinum substrate by self-assembly and sol-gel cross-linking. The gelating and drying states of the self-assembled MTS sol-gel films were probed by use of electrochemical and spectroscopic methods. The thiol moiety was the only active group within the sol-gel network. Gold nanoparticles were employed to detect the availability of the thiol group and their interaction further indicated the physicochemical states of the sol-gel inner structure. It was found that the thiol groups in the open porous MTS aerogel matrix were accessible to the gold nanoparticles while thiol groups in the compact MTS xerogel network were not accessible to the gold nanoparticles. The characteristics of the sol-gel matrix change with time because of its own irreversible gelating and drying process. The present work provides direct evidence of gold nanoparticle binding with thiol groups within the sol-gel structures and explains the different permeability of "aerogel" and "xerogel" films of MTS on the basis of electrochemical and spectroscopic results. Two endogenous species, hydrogen peroxide and ascorbic acid, were used to test the permeability of the self-assembled sol-gel film in different states. The MTS xerogel film on the platinum electrode was extremely selective against ascorbic acid while maintaining high sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide in contrast to the relatively high permeability of ascorbic acid in the MTS aerogel film. This study showed the potential of the MTS sol-gel film as a nanoporous material in biosensor development.


We propose a variant of Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP), called LoCOMP, for scalable sparse signal approximation. The algorithm is designed for shift-invariant signal dictionaries with localized atoms, such as time-frequency dictionaries, and achieves approximation performance comparable to OMP at a computational cost similar to Matching Pursuit. Numerical experiments with a large audio signal show that, compared to OMP and Gradient Pursuit, the proposed algorithm runs in over 500 less time while leaving the approximation error almost unchanged.


We report a novel-superheating phenomenon in YBa2Cu3Oz (Y123) oxide films (over 45 K), which were prepared by vapour deposition on MgO substrates. The origin of this superheating could be mainly attributed to the positive change of surface energy in peritectic melting, during which Y123 melts into the Y2BaCuO5 (Y211) solid and the Ba–Cu–O liquid. It was found that the heterogeneous melting initiates at the Y123/MgO interface and the molten liquid does not wet MgO and Y123. These melting features of Y123 films explain the delaying of the melting process.


It remains unclear whether myocardial ischemia due to coronary microvascular dysfunction is the cause of chest pain in syndrome X (chest pain, ischemic-like stress ECG despite angiographically normal coronary arteries). To assess the function of the coronary microcirculation and its relation to pain perception, we measured myocardial blood flow (MBF) and coronary vasodilator reserve (CVR) in 29 patients with syndrome X and 20 matched normal control subjects. Methods and ResultsMBF at rest and after intravenous dipyridamole (0.56 mg · kg−1 over 4 minutes) was measured using positron emission tomography with H215O. CVR was calculated as MBFdipyridamole/MBFrest. ECG changes and chest pain after dipyridamole in syndrome X were compared with those in 35 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Resting and postdipyridamole MBFs were homogeneous throughout the left ventricle in syndrome X patients and control subjects. MBF was 1.05 (0.25), mean (SD) versus 1.00 (0.22) mL. min−1. g−1 (P=NS) at rest and 2.73 (0.81) versus 3.00 (1.00) mL. min−1· g−1 (P=NS) after dipyridamole in patients and control subjects, respectively. CVRs were 2.66 (0.76) and 3.06 (1.08) (P=NS) and after correction of resting MBF for rate-pressure product were 2.35 (0.83) and 2.34 (0.90) (P=NS) in patients and control subjects, respectively. Female syndrome X patients had higher resting MBF than males, at 1.18 (0.20) versus 0.88 (0.19) mL min−1 · g−1 (P < .001). Chest pain after dipyridamole occurred in syndrome X as frequently as in CAD (21/29 versus 22/35, P=NS). ConclusionsWhen patients with syndrome X are compared with control subjects, no differences are found in MBF either at rest or after dipyridamole, despite syndrome X patients experiencing chest pain after dipyridamole to the same extent as patients with CAD. These findings, together with the absence of any relation among MBF, chest pain, and ECG changes under stress, cast further doubt on ischemia as the basis of the chest pain, at least in the majority of syndrome X patients.


This study analyses the decision of the Turkish Competition Authority (TCA) in which it has granted total immunity to SunExpress and reduced the amount of fine of Condor by 50 percent, after…


Adenoviral evolution has generated strategies to resist host cell antiviral systems, but molecular mechanisms for evasion of interferon (IFN) effects by adenoviruses during late-phase infection are poorly defined. In this study, we examined adenovirus type 5 (AdV) effects on IFN-γ-dependent gene expression and Janus family kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription signaling components in human tracheobronchial epithelial cells. We found that AdV infection specifically inhibited IFN-γ-dependent gene expression in airway epithelial cells without evidence of epithelial cell injury or generation of a soluble extracellular inhibitor. Furthermore, infection with AdV for 18–24 h blocked phosphorylation/activation of the Stat1 transcription factor that regulates IFN-γ-dependent genes. Although AdV also inhibited IFN-α-dependent phosphorylation of Stat1 and Stat2, interleukin-4-dependent phosphorylation of the related transcription factor Stat6 was not affected, indicating that the virus selectively affected specific signaling pathways. Our results indicate that AdV inhibition of the IFN-γ signal transduction cascade occurs through loss of ligand-induced receptor complex assembly and consequent component phosphorylation and suggest that lack of complex assembly is due to decreased expression of the IFN-γR2 chain of the IFN-γ receptor. IFN-γR2 is required at an early step in Janus family kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription pathway activation and is expressed at low levels in airway epithelial cells, supporting the concept that adenoviral down-regulation of the level of this IFN-γ receptor component allows for persistent modulation of IFN-γ-dependent gene expression.


Liberalization and its discontents seen in the longue duree—the struggle of late-coming statist contenders against an Anglophone heartland, now subsuming Europe in its Lockean embrace. Kees van der Pijl tracks the removal of macro-economic questions from democratic decision-making as central precondition for the EU's neoliberal turn.


Circular dichroism (CD) is a versatile tool to investigate the secondary structure of proteins. Conventionally, CD signals in the far-UV region are primarily attributed to peptide bond absorption; likewise aromatic residue analysis has typically only focussed on the near-UV absorption characteristics. However, crucial information that is contained in electronic transitions occurring in the far-UV has not been fully exploited to date, despite the significant potential offered by such measurements to yield a window into protein structure and self-assembly under native conditions. In this work, we strive towards a quantitative interpretation of CD spectra by detailing the contributions of aromatic chromophores in the far-UV and accurately describing unfolded states of charged amino acid side chains. To this end, we probe conformational changes of cationic peptides, which impact on their antimicrobial activity, as a function of pH and we show that the emerging far-UV signatures yield information on phenylalanine exciton coupling. This work thus furthers our understanding of the folding mechanisms of cationic peptides, which are considered to be molecules of key interest in the context of overcoming antimicrobial resistance.


The February 2009 edition of the AAO newsletter contains articles on the preliminary results from the WiggleZ dark energy survey, the analysis of near-IR observations of the galaxy IRAS18293-3413, the early results from the SPIRAL IFU investigation of the dynamics of a sample of nearby star forming galaxies, a summary of the successful outcome of the first on-sky test of photonic OH suppression and a number of regular features.


Urine proteomics was applied to explore whether the effect of startle can be detected in urine. A combination of natural enemy odor and sound stimulation was used to establish the rat startle model. Urine samples were collected before and after startle, and urine proteomes before-after startle of each rat were compared individually. Regulatory subunits of glutamate-cysteine ligase was identified as the sole differential protein among all five startled rats. To our surprise, its functional partner catalytic subunits of glutamate-cysteine ligase was also identified in four out of five rats as differential protein. When comparing before-after startle as two groups, 22 differential proteins were identified which represent biological pathways including neurotransmitter transport and glucose transmembrane transport.


SPINAL CANAL DECOMPRESSION via cervical laminectomy with or without foraminotomy is a mainstay of treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy and myeloradiculopathy. The goal of this surgery is to expand the cervical canal dorsally by removing the spinous processes, laminae, ligamentum flavum, and bony hypertrophy that are contributing to the canal stenosis. In selecting this particular approach to decompression, the surgeon must take into account the spinal geometry and the primary pathology of the patient: an "effective" cervical kyphosis is a contraindication to a dorsal approach, and spinal canal compromise secondary to ventral compression is best addressed through a ventral or a combined ventral and dorsal approach. This technique is technically facile and versatile in application. Complications with this procedure are relatively rare, with postoperative spinal instability being the primary concern. With proper patient selection and attention to surgical technique, laminectomy is a safe and effective approach to the management of cervical myelopathy in selected patients.


To maintain reliability of content-oriented wireless caching networks (CWCNs), repair mechanism is of necessity to be considered due to the natural that storage entities are individually unreliable and thus subject to failure on account of hardware error, network congestion or software updating. Meanwhile, recommendation is tunable for edge caching performance improvement. In this paper, we study the revenue maximization problem for CWCNs with both repair and recommendation considerations. The formulated problem is an integer non-convex and non-linear problem, and thus is difficult to be solved. The difficulties are intrinsically derived from the implicit weighted sum costs (WSCs) as regards storage and repair of each content and the coupling among the Boolean variables. For the sake of analytical tractability, a two-step methodology is developed. Specifically, we first explore the optimal storage and repair amount among the content providers to minimize the WSCs in terms of successfully fixing any occurred data corruption for the stored contents. Thereof, an explicit instance is provided to show how the contents can be coded, stored and then repaired in our network given that an error occurs. Based on the obtained storage and repair amount vectors, we solve the resultant joint caching and recommendation decision making problem (DMP). To be more specific, we decouple the DMP into a pair of subproblems, namely a cache placement and a recommendation optimization subproblems. For each subproblem, a globally optimal and a time-efficient suboptimal solutions are developed, respectively. Later, a versatile iterative paradigm is devised to do the decision making jointly. The convergence performance and the complexity analysis of the proposed algorithms are rigorously analyzed. Numerical results confirm the convergence performance of our iterative algorithms and illustrate their revenue improvements compared to various baseline schemes.


L-Xyloascorbic acid (L-xylo-AsA) and its three stereoisomers, D-xyloascorbic acid (D-xylo-AsA), L-araboascorbic acid (L-arabo-AsA) and D-araboascorbic acid (D-arabc-AsA), have been considered to show some differences in vitamin C activity. In this paper the effect of L-xylo-AsA, D-xylo-AsA, L-arabo-AsA and D-arabo-AsA on the activity of dopamine beta-hydroxylase was studied to clarify whether or not the structural specificities of these stereoisomers have different effects on enzyme activity. The maximum velocity (Vmax) of the hydroxylation and Km for ascorbic acid were calculated using double-reciprocal plotting. Vmax for L-xylo-AsA was estimated to be 201 nmol/min/mg protein and those of D-xylo-AsA, L-arabo-AsA and D-arabo-AsA were 157 nmol/min/mg protein, 112 nmol/min/mg protein and 194 nmol/min/mg protein, respectively. Km for L-xylo-AsA was 1.5 mM and those for D-xylo-AsA, L-arabo-AsA and D-arabo-AsA were 2.3 mM, 2.7 mM and 1.4 mM, respectively. The effect of D-arabo-AsA on the activity of dopamine beta-hydroxylase was almost the same as that of L-xylo-AsA, while D-xylo-AsA and L-arabo-AsA showed smaller effects. Our results suggest that the configuration at carbon 4 might be more important than that of the hydroxyl group at carbon 5 for the development of the activity as a cofactor for dopamine beta-hydroxylase reaction.


Compaction of asphalt pavement is one of the important processes to make good quality one. There are many laboratory-compaction methods to simulate field compaction. including Marshall compaction, Hveem compaction, gyratory compaction, and etc. The most common method used to determine the fundamental properties of asphalt mixture for design is Marshall method which is using impact energy. However, there is major difference between field compaction using kneading compaction and Marshall compaction using impact energy. Therefore, the gyratory compactor, which currently is the best to simulate the field compaction, was employed. The fundamental properties of asphalt specimen compacted by gyratory compactor and Marshall compactor were determined using laboratory test. From the tests, slag mixture with carbon black or pyrolyzed carbon black showed better performances, such as, in low susceptibility to temperature, high resistance against water and rutting, and high resilient modulus and indirect tensile strength.


Hypertension is a leading preventable cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Exercise is a widely recommended treatment strategy that has been shown to cause both acute and chronic reductions in blood pressure. This study aimed to explore the potential therapeutic effects of Brazilian jiu-jitsu training by assessing blood pressure responses during and after technical sparring. Seven Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners (age: 24.0±3.5 years; height: 1.75±0.02 m; body mass: 76.0±4.2 kg; BMI: 24.5±0.9) were included in the study. The participants performed three five-minute technical sparring rounds. Auscultatory measurements of blood pressure were obtained at rest, one minute post-sparring, and every ten minutes for a total of 60 minutes of recovery time. Between rounds, acute increases in both systolic blood pressure (p<0.0001) and diastolic blood pressure (p<0.0001) were observed. In the subsequent recovery period, both systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure increased at the ten-minute mark compared to baseline values, but then started to gradually decline, with systolic blood pressure dropping 10.0±4.1 (p<0.0001) and diastolic blood pressure 5.0±4.1 mmHg (p=0.001) after one hour of recovery. These findings indicate that technical Brazilian jiu-jitsu sparring induces significant post-exercise decreases in blood pressure and thus may have value as a non-pharmacological treatment strategy for the prevention and management of hypertension.


The effects of cooled-ECR on the characteristics of combustion and exhaust emissions were investigated in a single cylinder HCCI diesel engine The premixed charge (gasoline or diesel) was obtained with premixing chamber and high-pressure (5.5MPa) injection system. Exhaust pressure control and cooled ECR system were used in order to reduce pressure fluctuation and to mix the exhaust gas well with the fresh intake air. The experimental results show that NOx emissions from conventional diesel engine are steeply decreased by HCCI diesel combustion with cooled-EGR in both case of gasoline and diesel premixing. But soot emissions are rapidly increased with the increase of ECR rate. The recycled exhaust gas increased the ignition delay of mixture and decreased maximum combustion pressure. HC and CO emissions of HCCI combustion are increased with ECR rate.


A reconstruction of 3D electron-positron densities from 2D ACPAR experimental spectra for Mg was performed using Cormack's method and compared with theoretical results. In theoretical calculations the LMTO band structure method was applied. Many-body effects have been incorporated in a local density approximation both for valence and core electrons. These results lead to improved agreement between theory and experiment in comparison to the independent particle model. For the first time an over-enhancement of the higher momentum components was obtained both theoretically and experimentally.


Kahneman and Tversky and their behavioral economics stand in a long tradition of applying mathematics to human behavior. In the seventeenth century, attempts to describe rational behavior in mathematical terms run into problems with the formulation of the St. Petersburg paradox. Bernoulli's celebrated solution to use utility instead of money marks the beginning of expected utility theory (EUT). Bernoulli's work is taken up by psychophysics which in turn plays an important role in the making of modern economics. In the 1940s von Neumann and Morgenstern throw away Bernoulli and psychophysics, and redefine utility in monetary terms. Relying on this utility definition and on von Neumann and Morgenstern's axiomatic constraints of the individual's preferences, Friedman and Savage attempt to continue Bernoulli's research. After this fails economics and psychology go separate ways. Economics employs Friedman's positive-normative distinction; psychology uses Savage's normative-descriptive distinction. Using psychophysics Kahneman and Tversky broaden the normative-descriptive distinction and argue with increasing strength for a descriptive theory of rational behavior. A prominent part of contemporary behavioral economics is founded upon the export of Tversky and Kahneman's program to economics. Within this research, two different branches of research can be observed. One branch continues Kahneman and Tversky's search for a descriptive theory of rational behavior and extends the normative-descriptive distinction with a prescriptive part. A second branch takes Tversky and Kahneman's work as a falsification of positive economics. It argues that economics should take account of the psychological critique but stick to rigorous mathematical model building and Friedman's positive-normative distinction.


The denitrification process profoundly affects soil nitrogen (N) availability and generates its byproduct, nitrous oxide, as a potent greenhouse gas. There are large uncertainties in predicting global denitrification because its controlling factors remain elusive. In this study, we compiled 4301 observations of denitrification rates across a variety of terrestrial ecosystems from 214 papers published in the literature. The averaged denitrification rate was 3516.3 ± 91.1 µg N kg−1 soil day−1. The highest denitrification rate was 4242.3 ± 152.3 µg N kg−1 soil day−1 under humid subtropical climates, and the lowest was 965.8 ± 150.4 µg N kg−1 under dry climates. The denitrification rate increased with temperature, precipitation, soil carbon and N contents, as well as microbial biomass carbon and N, but decreased with soil clay contents. The variables related to soil N contents (e.g., nitrate, ammonium, and total N) explained the variation of denitrification more than climatic and edaphic variables (e.g., mean annual temperature (MAT), soil moisture, soil pH, and clay content) according to structural equation models. Soil microbial biomass carbon, which was influenced by soil nitrate, ammonium, and total N, also strongly influenced denitrification at a global scale. Collectively, soil N contents, microbial biomass, pH, texture, moisture, and MAT accounted for 60% of the variation in global denitrification rates. The findings suggest that soil N contents and microbial biomass are strong predictors of denitrification at the global scale.


Short period strained-layer Si/Ge superlattices grown by molecular beam epitaxy have been investigated by photoluminescence spectroscopy. In 16×4, 15×4 and 12×4 superlattices with 80 or 120 periods two new luminescence peaks appear. From their separation in photon energy, the two peaks are assigned to a no-phonon transition and its silicon transverse optical phonon replica. Detailed photoluminescence investigations have confirmed that the new peaks which appear at energies between 0.85 and 1.05 eV give evidence for radiative recombination in the superlattices. From their luminescence intensity as well as lineshape dependence on the excitation power we attribute the new peaks to localized excitons.


What might the often cited phrases from Dietrich Bonhoeffer's prison theology mean for the ethical discourse at the beginning of the 21st century? Which hermeneutical concepts might enable contemporary religious thinkers to enter into a dialogue with Bonhoeffer's thought? This collection of lectures will address questions like these both by examining the intellectual, cultural and historical origins of Bonhoeffer's Tegel Theology and by drawing out the ethical consequences of Bonhoeffer's contribution for current political discourses. Going Bonhoeffer and Beyond - as the title indicates - means interpreting contemporary issues like religious pluralism and political ethics in the light of Bonhoeffer's key ideas such as his Christological «life-concept or his ethical distinction between the «ultimate and the penultimate things.


Objective To explore the possible pathogenesis of chronic posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus by observing the expression of AQP1 on rats after experimental intraventricular hemorrhage. Methods Fourty-five rats were randomly divided into normal control(n=5),sham-operated(n=20)and experimental(n=20)groups.The 0.1mL saline and 0.1mL citrated autologous blood were injected into the lateral ventricle of the rats in the sham-operated and the experimental groups,respectively.The later two groups were divided into four subgroups according to different time points at 3,7,14 and 30 d(n=5).The change of protein expression of AQP1 at different time points of bleeding were detected by immunohistochemical techniques and that of mRNA expression of AQP1 was obsevred by in situ hybridization,respectively.and then,the possible pathogenesis of chronic posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus was discussed. Results At the time point of 30 d after intraventricular hemordmge,chronic hydrocephalus appeared in 4 rats(80%)in the experimental group.High protein expression of AQP1 was found in the apical of cuboidal epithelium of choroids plexus,the ependyma, the pia mater, the arachnoid and the dura in the normal control group;the protein expression of AQP1 gradually weakened in the experimental group 3 d aftea intraventricular hemorrhage and dropped to the bottom on the 14th d,which was significantly different from the normal control and sham-operative groups(P<0.05).The mRNA expression of AQP1 was weaker than the protein expression of AQP1,and the expression locations of them were basically in concordance. Conclusion AQP1 is involved not only in the secretion of cerebrospinal fluid,but also in the process of the CSF absorption.The decrease of CSF absorption induced by the decreased expression of AQP1 after intraventrieular hemorrhage in rats may also relate to the development of chronic posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus.

Key words:
Cerebral hemorrhage; Hgdrocephalus; Cerebrospinal fluid; Aquaporin 1


OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the radiographic lung pattern and topographical distribution in canine eosinophilic bronchopneumopathy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Medical records were retrospectively reviewed for dogs diagnosed with eosinophilic bronchopneumopathy. Lateral thoracic radiographs were examined for the presence of increased radiopacity, classification of pattern, topography of lung changes (cranioventral, perihilar, caudodorsal, caudoventral) and severity of pulmonary lesions.

RESULTS
Forty-four cases were identified with the Labrador retriever being the most commonly affected breed; there was a mean age of 5 years and an equal gender distribution. Coughing was the most common clinical sign. Circulating eosinophilia was present in 39% of dogs, with a mean peripheral eosinophilia of 5.1×109 cells/L and a mean bronchoalveolar lavage fluid eosinophilia of 40%. Eighty percent of dogs had an abnormal lung pattern in at least one of the four lung fields; the remaining had normal thoracic radiographs. The most common patterns were a bronchial and a bronchointerstitial pattern, with 41 and 89% distribution to the caudodorsal lung field, respectively.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
A bronchial and bronchointerstitial pattern are the most common radiographic lung patterns seen in canine eosinophilic bronchopneumopathy with these patterns most frequently topographically distributed to at least the caudodorsal lung field. Furthermore, within the caudodorsal lung field, a bronchointerstitial pattern predominates. This radiographic and topographical finding may allow eosinophilic bronchopneumopathy to take precedence on a differential diagnoses list before confirmatory bronchoalveolar lavage fluid sampling.


In this paper, the toxicity of Vitex negundo seed dichloromethane extract, imidacloprid, and omethoate to Aphis citricola, Aphis gossypii, and Myzus persicae was determined by impregnation method, and the co-toxicity of the seed extract and imidacloprid to A. gossypii as well as the repellent effect of the extract and test insecticides to M. persicae were tested by topical application of capillary tube and by selection in culture dish, respectively. The results showed that the LC50 of V. negundo seed dichloromethane extract to A. citricola, A. gossypii, and M. persicae was 334.59, 362.79, and 2685.8 mg x L(-1), respectively, indicating that V. negundo seed dichloromethane extract was highly toxic to A. citricola and A. gossypii. The co-toxicity coefficient of the seed extract and imidacloprid was 177.45 when the mixture was in 1000:1, showing an obvious synergism. The repellent effect of V. negundo seed dichloromethane extract and imidacloprid to M. persicae was 55.75% and 39.44%, and 69.89% and 65.43% after treated for 24 and 48 hours, respectively, while that of thiamethoxam and acetamiprid to M. persicae was 16.52%-33.68% after treated for 24 and 48 hours.


Over the years, great effort has been made to use carbon nanotubes (CNT) as gas sensing materials with high specific surface area for detection of gases. Our objective is to design and optimize a chemical sensor based on CNT whose sensitivity arises via coupling with a pre-concentration nanoporous silica layer. The detection mechanism is based on the resistance change of CNT upon gas exposure which is due to the p-type semiconducting behavior of the CNTs. Our choice of nanoporous silica as pre-concentrator for the sensor is based on previous work that has shown the ability of various thick nanoporous silica matrices to trap benzene and toluene over the ppb to ppm range . Here we will show that it is possible to use a thin layer of functionalized silica as pre-concentrator to trap and concentrate benzene and toluene at the vicinity of CNT.
The MWCNTs were covered with a nanoporous SiO$_2$ layer whose function is to concentrate the pollutant in order to enhance the sensor performances. We will describe the preparation of the sensor and highlight the beneficial effects of both the pre-concentration layer and the operating temperature. Thus, the mechanism involved with the functionalized silica layer will be discussed. MWCNT/SiO$_2$-based sensors operated at 125°C are able to detect 10 ppb of benzene in air. These results underline the potential of this MWCNTs/SiO$_2$ hybrid material for the detection of indoor and outdoor air pollutants. Recent developments have also demonstrated that this technology can be integrated into a prototype device.


The question addressed in this paper is whether the financial structure of cooperatives constitutes a badge of identity that differentiates cooperatives from other corporate legal forms such as capital-based companies.To this end, it examines features of their financial structure that are considered typical of cooperatives in a number of documents published by international organizations: the International Co-operative Alliance's Statement on the Co-operative Identity (ICA, Manchester, 1995); the International Labour Organization's R193 Promotion of Cooperatives Recommendation (ILO, 2002); Council Regulation (EC) No. 1435/2003 of 22 July 2003 on the Statute for a European Cooperative Society (SCE), and the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee, and the Committee of Regions on the promotion of co-operative societies in Europe (Brussels 23.02.2004, COM(2004) 18).All these documents agree in pointing to the ICA cooperative principles as characteristics that identify cooperatives. They also agree in pointing to certain aspects of the financial structure of cooperatives as identifying features: most of the cooperative's share capital has to be held by the cooperating members, shareholding does not determine the member's rights, any return on capital must be at a limited rate, and part of the cooperative's reserves cannot be divided among the members.Other aspects of their financial system, while typical of cooperatives, are not so essential to their nature. These include reserves remaining indivisible even if the cooperative is dissolved or changes its legal form, and variable share capital.Lastly, this examination has brought to light certain weaknesses in the legal system covering cooperatives that need to be remedied by measures such as establishing guarantees for members when the cooperative demands new contributions to capital, favouring solvency by strengthening the creation and preservation of the cooperatives' capital and reserves, and others that have come to light as a result of allowing or demanding stability (rather than variability) of the cooperative capital, such as making shares easier to transfer or allowing cooperatives to acquire their own shares in order to make it easier for members to join and leave.


This paper describes the design and realization of TC-11, a software instrument based on programmable multi-point controllers. TC-11 is a modular synthesizer for the iPad that uses multi-touch and device motion sensors for control. It has a robust patch programming interface that centers around multi-point controllers, providing powerful flexibility. This paper details the origin, design principles, programming implementation, and performance result of TC11.


Viral hepatitis B and C are the cause of significant disease worldwide. Acute infection is more common with hepatitis B than C in childhood; but chronic asymptomatic infection leading to chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma is a considerable concern. The natural history of hepatitis B is well established in adults but the long-term outcome for children is still under debate. Following an acute infection, 90% will recover spontaneously; but approximately 1% of patients develop acute fulminant hepatitis requiring liver transplantation. The main source of infection in childhood is perinatal transmission, which is effectively prevented using vaccination, antenatal screening and screening of blood products and organ donors. The vaccine is effective in 97% of newborn infants and lasts for 10–15 years. All children with chronic hepatitis B infection should be annually monitored and those with persistent infection should be considered for anti-viral therapy. Treatment options include Interferon (5 M units per m2 subcutaneously 3 weekly for 6 months) or Lamivudine (3 mg/kg for 12–24 months), but neither therapy is completely effective. Interferon clears viral infection in 20%–40% and is most effective in children with elevated transaminases or horizontal transmission. Only 23% seroconvert after lamivudine, 26% of whom may develop resistance with YMDD mutant variants of the hapatitis B virus. A number of other drugs, such as Adefovir Dipivoxil, Famciclovir, Entecavair and Pegylated Interferon, are under evaluation. Liver transplantation is an effective treatment for children with acute or chronic liver failure, but recurrence is high without prophylaxis. The main route of transmission for hepatitis C was originally through infected blood products or organs; but now the most common source is vertical transmission which ranges from 2%–12% depending on maternal infectivity. Breast feeding is safe in mothers with low titres of hepatitis C RNA. The natural spontaneous clearance rate for hepatitis C is between 20% and 40% and is higher in children who have been parenterally infected compared to perinatal infection. It is a mild disease in children, but the indication for treatment is based on the future risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer. Children with persistent infection (hepatitis C RNA positive for 6 months) and evidence of histological disease should be considered for combination treatment with Pegylated Interferon (3 M units/m2 subcutaneously 1 weekly) and oral Ribavirin (15 mg/kg) which has a sustained response rate of 80%–100% for genotypes 2 and 3, and 50% for genotype 1. Liver transplantation for hepatitis C in children is rarely required, but 100% recurrence can be expected without prophylaxis. Emerging new therapies include viral enzyme inhibitors, cytokines, antisense oligonucleosides which are at an early stage of development.


The American Academy of Pediatrics is requesting nominations for the 1994 E. H. Christopherson Lectureship on International Child Health. Nominees must be internationally recognized individuals (not necessarily physicians) who have made significant contributions to international child health. The nomination deadline is January 31, 1994.
 For additional information contact: Jean Dow, MEd, Director of the Division of Medical Journals, or Kyle Ostler, Division Secretary, American Academy of Pediatrics, 141 Northwest Point Boulevard, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007. Tel.:800-433-9016.


Technical systems of today are often complex and integrated. To maintain operational functionality and security it is sometimes necessary to have a surveillance system which can detect a fault in an early stage. The device that detects and locates the faulty component is called a diagnosis system. There are several different approaches to fault diagnosis, this study focus on a part of technical diagnosis that uses a model of the system for assistance to make the diagnosis. In the creation of the model of the system computer tools can be used, in this thesis it is investigated if one such software tool is practical to use in the building of the model of the system. One aspect of technical diagnosis based on models is the creation of a model of the process in question with support for faults, a fault model. In this thesis, Modelica is used to create fault models. The models produced from Modelica are then analyzed by some existing diagnosis algorithms. The approach of designing fault models in Modelica and then exporting the corresponding system and perform diagnosis analysis on it in Matlab is considered feasible. But the process falls a bit short of the aim of a automatic model building and and diagnosis analysis procedure. If the results from this thesis are to be used in the future will depend on if the freedom that Modelica gives in designing fault models are deemed worthwhile to accommodate so that the results from the modeling suits the diagnosis analysis. One way to do ease this transformation of data is to restrict the freedom of model designs in Modelica but then some of the benefit that Modelica brings is negated. It is shown here however that it it possible to design fault models in Modelica and then use the results to analyze the models regarding sensor placement and test design.


Agriculture is not the dominant sector in North Koreas mostly industrial economy. Nevertheless, it is of crucial importance given the country's low level of international integration and the resulting limited capacity to acquire food through international trade. More-over, the few so far successful examples of a gradual socialist transformation in China and Vietnam started out with reforms in agriculture. These two points provide enough justification to have a closer look at that sector and its possible role for the future of North Korea. This will be done following Kornai's (1992: xxvi) advice who urges us to "study the classical, prereform system, for that is the only route to a thorough understanding of the problems, crises, and vicissitudes met with by the socialist reforms, and then of the state of affairs and the problems as the post socialist transition begins." Accordingly, the paper starts by exploring the general characteristics of state socialism as witnessed in the Eastern Block with a particular emphasis on agriculture, before contrasting the results with the specific case of North Korea. Based on Kornai's theoretical framework, the reasons for the relative functioning of the North Korean agriculture over the last decades will be discussed, as well as the new circumstances that made a continuation of the old approach impossible and demanded a policy change. A discussion of the various options for reform will be followed by a reality check considering a sufficient likelihood of regime stability as one precondition for a top-down reform process. Finally, the actual reform measures and their future will be discussed.


We examine whether firms' political hedging activities are effective at mitigating political risk. Focusing on the risk induced by partisan politics, we measure political hedging as the degree to which firms' political connections are balanced across Republican and Democratic candidates. We find that greater political hedging is associated with reduced stock return volatility, particularly during periods of higher policy uncertainty. Similarly, greater political hedging is associated with reduced crash risk, investment volatility, and earnings volatility. Moreover, the reduction in earnings volatility appears to relate to both a firm's taxes and its operating activities, as we find that greater political hedging is associated with reduced cash effective tax rate volatility and pretax income volatility. We further find investors are better able to anticipate future earnings for firms that engage in political hedging, suggesting that political hedging helps improve firms' information environments. Lastly, we perform an event study using President Obama's Clean Power Plan. We find that on the days this policy proposal was debated in Congress, energy and utility firms experienced heightened intraday return volatility (relative to other firms and nonevent days). However, this heightened volatility is mitigated for energy and utility firms that are more politically hedged. Overall, we conclude that political hedging is an effective risk management tool that helps mitigate firm risk. This paper was accepted by Suraj Srinivasan, accounting.


Weinstein, Y. and Weinberger, R. The geology and volcanological history of Mount Avital. Isr. J. Earth sci. 55: 237–255. Phreatomagmatic (hydrovolcanic) structures are rare in the Golan Heights, probably due to the deep groundwater table in most of this area. The volcanic deposits in the Pleistocene complex of Mt. Avital document a shift from an initial period of dry strombolian eruptions to wet phreatomagmatic explosions. We present a new map of the volcanic complex Mount Avital at a scale of 1:10,000 and an analysis of the deposit distribution and sequence of events that led to the dry–wet transition. Dry activity commenced at the southern part of the complex (pouring of the 'En Zivan basalt and buildup of the Avital cinder cone) and then migrated to the west (Avital basalts) and north (Bental cinder cone). The transition to wet activity occurred during the terminal stages of the buildup of the Bental cone and it concentrated in two vents at the central part of the complex. The reason for this transition is attributed to the diversion of the Quneitra creek eastwards into the Quneitra Valley, which caused an increase in the level of Lake Quneitra and the infiltration of its water into the magma conduit. This could be facilitated by a decrease in magma pressure in the conduit due to an intense magmatic activity. The phreatomagmatic activity was frequently interrupted by low water:melt eruptions that produced fine-grained scoria, which erupted from a small scoria cone where the access of water was restricted. The phreatomagmatic activity was followed by collapse in the southern and central areas of the complex, which produced the central depression of the Avital complex.


In this paper, a novel algorithm based on subspace projections is developed for blindly estimating the discrete orders of a linear finite-impulse-response (FIR) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system, the number of subsystems that attain each order as well as the total number of inputs. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm applies to single-input multiple-output (SIMO) system order estimation. Simulations in the context of blind channel order estimation show good performance in comparison to existing schemes developed for SIMO systems.


The rail industry in the United Kingdom is constantly investing in its infrastructure to make a better experience for passengers by providing more frequent and faster journeys. Large parts of this investment are the renewal of infrastructure that needs upgrading and introduction of new rolling stock which requires strategic and operational planning, multi-disciplinary design input and approvals from Network Rail Route Asset Managers (RAM). With the evolving standards set out by Network Rail it is becoming increasingly difficult to design track alignments without derogations to these standards. The aim of this paper is to gauge industry professionals' opinions on aspects surrounding track design such as their industry experience, their experience on working with software tools, as well as to highlight areas of design difficulty with regards to the Network Rail standards. Furthermore, this paper will explore a case study where the existing and proposed alignments have been analysed and an alternative proposed alignment has been designed in an attempt to eradicate the derogations encountered in the original design. Qualitatively collected data showed that 63% of sites designed by the respondents contain derogations, mainly connected to the restrictions and limitations in the design standards, as well as the changes to the scope during the project life cycle. Following on from this, the results of the case study highlighted the original accepted proposed design contained six derogations which, in the second proposed alignment, were reduced to three more serious derogations which resulted in the design being rejected.


OBJECTIVE
The objective was to investigate self-efficacy to manage recovery from surgery and perceptions of the spouse's emotional responsiveness of adults recovering from knee surgery as mediators of the association between the quality of support from the spouse following surgery and recovery outcomes.

RESEARCH METHOD
In-person interviews of married older adults (N = 134) with osteoarthritis of the knee who underwent total knee replacement surgery were conducted at 1 month before surgery, 1 month after surgery, and at 3 months after surgery.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Outcomes were knee limitations and depressive symptoms.

RESULTS
Self-efficacy mediated the associations between emotional support and problematic support and improvement in knee limitations as well as between emotional support and improvement in depressive symptoms. Perceptions of the spouse's emotional responsiveness did not mediate associations between support and recovery outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS
Findings suggest that emotional support from the spouse can improve recovery outcomes in part by strengthening efficacy beliefs to manage recovery, and problematic support can hinder optimal recovery in part by weakening efficacy beliefs.


The main purpose of this thesis is to investigate the possibility to communicate messagesrelated to sustainable development through cultural works. Culture is here synonymous toliterature or, more specifically, the fiction genre. According to ecocritical research, this genrehas the capacity to contribute to a more sustainable development and is therefore interestingto analyse from an environmental point of view.The novel selected for the study is Vips sa blev det liv - eller en hyllning till blagronalgen(2010), written by the Swedish author Bob Hansson. The analysis is mainly focused on howthe book's climate related messages are formulated and integrated in the story. Alsoconsidered is in what way Hansson's strategies are compatible with the expectations raisedtowards the fiction genre within the context of sustainable development; expectations thatinclude the ability to evoke emotion, to convey new values and perspectives, and to act as alink between different parts of society.One conclusion to be drawn from the analysis is that Hansson approaches the climate issuein several ways. For example, Vips sa blev det liv reflects both anthropocentric and bio-/ecocentric values, and the messages are delivered in an informative as well as in anillustrative manner. Moreover, the literary tropes give the book an emotional touch, whichmay help the reader to comprehend the information. In other words, the methods used are to alarge extent in line with the above mentioned expectations towards the fiction genre.What is however important to remember, is that the book includes several parallel themesand many comic episodes. For that reason, it cannot be taken for granted that the reader willpay much attention to the climate messages; however emotional, multidisciplinary andunconventional they may be. This highlights the difficulty in predicting the response to acertain cultural work. In order to understand its true potential in terms of communicatingmessages for a sustainable development, it is therefore essential to analyse the whole chainthat links the creator of the work to its recipients.


Globally, abortion mortality accounts for approximately 13% of all maternal mortality. Unsafe abortion procedures, untrained abortion providers, restrictive abortion laws and high maternal mortality and morbidity from abortion tend to occur together. Unplanned and unwanted pregnancies constitute a serious public health responsibility. While fertility has declined by half in developing countries, the motivation to control and space births has risen faster than the rate of contraceptive use. Preventing maternal mortality and morbidity from abortion in countries where these remain high is a matter of good public health policy and medical practice, and constitutes an important part of safe motherhood initiatives. A range of positive steps has been taken to reduce deaths and morbidity from abortion in a growing number of countries over the past 15 years. Making abortion legal is an essential prerequisite in making it safe. In this respect, changing the law does matter and assertions to the contrary are ill conceived and unsupported in practice. Although, in many countries, trends towards safer abortion have often occurred prior to or in the absence of changes in the law, legal changes need to take place if safety is to be sustained for all women. Religious laws may also require attention when legal change is being contemplated. There are three main ways of approaching this problem: liberalizing the existing law within the penal or criminal code; partially or fully legalizing abortion through a positive law or a court ruling; and decriminalising abortion by taking it out of the law. Women's health groups and other advocates, parliamentarians and health professionals, can work together to support the right of women not to die from unsafe abortions and to ensure they receive treatment for complications. Committed doctors can make a difference by providing treatment for abortion complications, interpreting the law in a liberal way and providing safe services where these are legal as well as training providers in the safest techniques to reduce mortality and morbidity. Although law, policy and women's rights are central to this issue, making abortions safe is above all a public health responsibility of governments. Moreover, reducing maternal mortality by making abortions safe is also an important part of the international commitment made in Cairo in 1994 at the ICPD and reaffirmed at the Cairo meeting in 1999.


Informatization of early childhood education in the EU occurs in the context of the use of ICT as a means of sharing experiences, practices in the education and training of preschool children, communication, both at the national level and locally within educational institutions, as a means of document management, search, data processing and information for the management of early childhood educational institutions, and planning activities for these institutions. This article aims to identify the features of the informatization of early childhood education in EU countries. Results. The countries of the EU have different levels of workload on the staff of early childhood education institutions, which is caused by different numbers of preschoolers and workforce. The greatest load on the staff in France due to a large number of preschoolers, which, despite the reduction, remained the highest among all the countries. By comparison, Poland's significant workload is mitigated by the size of its workforce. With almost equal numbers of staff in Poland and Germany, the countries differ significantly in the number of preschoolers. The countries also have different funding mechanisms for early childhood education, which determines the potential for digitalization. In France, total spending on early childhood education has grown the least (by 11 % between 2012 and 2018), in Poland by 51 %, in the Czech Republic by 44 %, and in Germany by 49%. In France, 100 % is funded by the government, in Poland 78 % is funded by the government, in the Czech Republic and Germany 87 % and 85 % respectively is funded by the government. The results of the survey of teachers' training in the use of ICTs and the level of specialists' readiness to use them in their studies indicate a mismatch between education and the practice of using technology. At the same time, given the high level of professional training of teachers in the use of technology in education, a low level of practice of ICT use in teaching preschool children was revealed. Teachers require professional development of ICT skills.


Oxidative stress is one of the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are implicated in various pathogenic signalling pathways underlying vascular inflammation. Antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) play a significant role in protecting against harmful effects of ROS. Honey has been shown to function as antioxidant through suppression of oxidative stress and radical scavenging ability. This study aims to explore the antioxidant potential of Trihoney (Combination of three types of honey, namely: Trigona, Mellifera, and Dorsata) on oxidative stress in atherosclerotic plaques of hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Thirty male New Zealand white rabbits were assigned into 5 groups as follows: normal diet (C), normal diet with 0.6g/kg/day of Trihoney (C+H), 1% cholesterol diet (HC), 1% cholesterol diet with 0.6g/kg/day of Trihoney (HC+H), and 1% cholesterol diet with 2mg/kg/day of atorvastatin (HC+At). All animals were sacrificed after 12 weeks of treatment upon confirmation of hypercholesterolemia. The atherosclerotic aorta was harvested and homogenised. Activities of SOD and GPx were determined in aorta homogenate by enzyme assay kits. Aorta homogenate malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Untreated hypercholesterolemic group HC showed it suppressed SOD and GPx activities, in addition to significant (p<0.001) elevation of MDA concentration. The atherogenic group treated with Trihoney demonstrated significant (p<0.01) enhanced activities of both SOD and GPx compared to HC group. Treatment with atorvastatin significantly (p<0.001) enhanced GPx activity as compared to all other treated and untreated groups. Trihoney supplemented group, and atorvastatin treated group demonstrated significant (p<0.001) reduction in MDA concentration compared to the HC group. Conclusions: Trihoney has the potentials to enhance antioxidant enzyme activity and ameliorates the oxidative stress in the atherosclerotic aorta.


Objective: The sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) can reveal certain epileptiform activity patterns and facilitate localization of the focus. Sedation is often required for sleep EEG recording in pediatric patients, but there is no consensus on the optimal sedative. Hydroxyzine HCL (HH) and chloral hydrate (CH) are popular sedatives, but HH is rarely used for pediatric sleep EEG recording. The goal of this prospective study was to compare CH to HH for sleep induction efficacy, safety and effects on pediatric sleep EEG pattern. Research design and methods: A total of 282 children (age 4−9 years) referred to our sleep EEG laboratory and requiring sedation were randomly assigned to two groups: the CH Group (n = 141) received 50 mg/kg CH and the HH group (n = 141) received 1 mg/kg HH. If sedation was unsatisfactory, a second equal dose of the same sedative was administered 30 min later. Results: Sleep induction was less successful in the HH group compared to the CH group (p < 0.001). Sleep onset latency was significantly longer in the HH group (p < 0.01) and the proportion of HH group patients requiring a second sedative dose significantly higher (p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in the proportion of patients exhibiting epileptiform activity on the EEG or in adverse event rate between groups. Conclusion: CH was a superior sedative compared to HH owing to more rapid and successful sleep induction with no increase in adverse events.


The hydrate film properties and growth law at the interface between water phase and hydrate former (guest) phase are of significance to the overall study of hydrate formation kinetics and for developing methods to promote or inhibit the hydrate formation with respect to different industrial applications. In recent years, the experimental tools have become available to qualitatively observe the morphological nature of the film and quantitatively measure the growth of hydrate film. In this review, we provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art in the observation of hydrate film morphology, measurement and modeling of hydrate film growth rate. First, we review the morphological observations of hydrate formation at hydrate former/water interfaces occurring in different cases, such as bulk hydrate former phase contacting bulk water phase, small hydrate former droplets being exposed to bulk water phase, small water droplets being exposed to bulk hydrate former phase, and gas bubbles being suspended in bulk water phase. In the second section, the experimental determination of the lateral growth rate along the guest/water interface, the vertical growth rate normal to the guest/water interface and thickness of hydrate film are summarized. The mechanism and modeling of lateral growth and vertical growth of hydrate film are reviewed in the third section.


This paper proposes a probabilistic power pinch analysis (PoPA) approach based on Monte–Carlo simulation (MCS) for energy management of hybrid energy systems uncertainty. The systems power grand composite curve is formulated with the chance constraint method to consider load stochasticity. In a predictive control horizon, the power grand composite curve is shaped based on the pinch analysis approach. The robust energy management strategy effected in a control horizon is inferred from the likelihood of a bounded predicted power grand composite curve, violating the pinch. Furthermore, the response of the system using the energy management strategies (EMS) of the proposed method is evaluated against the day-ahead (DA) and adaptive power pinch strategy.


In recent years, a tremendous increase in our understanding of intercalation reactions has been attained through the use of in-situ techniques. In such studies, a non-invasive probe is employed, allowing the collection of large amounts of data on a reaction process. A non-invasive probe is preferred, rather than arresting the reaction and analysing the product thereby obtained (quenching). This is because the quenching process often affects the reaction product, and hence what is isolated can never be guaranteed to be typical of the reaction matrix. In the study of crystalline solids, one of the most useful non-invasive probes is X-ray diffraction, since this technique can provide evidence on the nature of the species present in the reaction and their concentrations. Through the use of synchrotron radiation, X-ray diffraction patterns may be collected on timescales as short as seconds, allowing accurate quantitative information about an intercalation process to be acquired. In this review, the application of this technique to a variety of intercalation processes relating to layered double hydroxides is surveyed.


Streptococcus pneumoniae has evolved versatile strategies to colonize the nasopharynx of humans. Colonization is facilitated by direct interactions with host cell receptors or via binding to components of the extracellular matrix. In addition, pneumococci hijack host-derived extracellular proteases such as the serine protease plasmin(ogen) for ECM and mucus degradation as well as colonization. S. pneumoniae expresses strain-dependent up to four serine proteases. In this study, we assessed the role of secreted or cell-bound serine proteases HtrA, PrtA, SFP, and CbpG, in adherence assays and in a mouse colonization model. We hypothesized that the redundancy of serine proteases compensates for the deficiency of a single enzyme. Therefore, double and triple mutants were generated in serotype 19F strain EF3030 and serotype 4 strain TIGR4. Strain EF3030 produces only three serine proteases and lacks the SFP encoding gene. In adherence studies using Detroit-562 epithelial cells, we demonstrated that both TIGR4Δcps and 19F mutants without serine proteases or expressing only CbpG, HtrA, or PrtA have a reduced ability to adhere to Detroit-562 cells. Consistent with these results, we show that the mutants of strain 19F, which preferentially colonizes mice, abrogate nasopharyngeal colonization in CD-1 mice after intranasal infection. The bacterial load in the nasopharynx was monitored for 14 days. Importantly, mutants showed significantly lower bacterial numbers in the nasopharynx two days after infection. Similarly, we detected a significantly reduced pneumococcal colonization on days 3, 7, and 14 post-inoculations. To assess the impact of pneumococcal serine proteases on acute infection, we infected mice intranasally with bioluminescent and invasive TIGR4 or isogenic triple mutants expressing only CbpG, HtrA, PrtA, or SFP. We imaged the acute lung infection in real-time and determined the survival of the mice. The TIGR4lux mutant expressing only PrtA showed a significant attenuation and was less virulent in the acute pneumonia model. In conclusion, our results showed that pneumococcal serine proteases contributed significantly to pneumococcal colonization but played only a minor role in pneumonia and invasive diseases. Because colonization is a prerequisite for invasive diseases and transmission, these enzymes could be promising candidates for the development of antimicrobials to reduce pneumococcal transmission.


In this study, we report a new BODIPY-based design, called the cross-conjugated design, that takes advantage of the α- and β-position functionalization of the BODIPY core. After synthesis, and compared to a more standard BODIPY dye, using similar functional groups and based on a horizontal design, called h-BOD, the new cross-conjugated BODIPY dye (cc-BOD) exhibits clearly the highest conjugation and light harvesting properties. Consequently, when used as photosensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), an impressive improvement of power conversion efficiency (PCE) has been observed, with a PCE of 6.02% with broad incident photon to current conversion efficiency (IPCE) for cc-BOD, compared to only 3.7% for h-BOD. Moreover, by co-sensitizing a DSSC with the two complementary absorbing dyes h-BOD and cc-BOD, we further improved the PCE up to 6.2%.


This paper describes a business transaction model and the Internet-based information architecture for the open electricity market. A power exchange is assumed to coordinate and manage the trade of energy and ancillary services in the day-ahead market through the Internet infrastructure. Indispensable characteristics for the exchange mechanism are efficiency, transparency and equitability; in order to guarantee these requirements we introduce an optimization process operated by the power exchange which ensures an appropriate evaluation of the generation offers for the available resources under some operational constraints. Further, in this paper, a market simulation approach is described. Several agents are developed to simulate offer strategies. Each agent automatically analyzes market information, and based on its own characteristic, submits an offer to the power exchange. The simulator can be utilized as a decision-making tool for market participants. The system is implemented utilizing JAVA distribution architecture, such as Web technologies and JAVA servlets.


We propose extensions to existing web protocols that allow proofs of authenticity of HTTP server responses, whether or not the HTTP server is under the control of the publisher. These extensions protect users from content that may be substituted by malicious servers, and therefore have immediate applications in improving the security of web caching, mirroring, and relaying systems that rely on untrusted machines [2,4]. Our proposal relies on Merkle trees to support 200 and 404 response authentication while requiring only a single cryptographic hash of trusted data per repository. While existing web protocols such as HTTPS can provide authenticity guarantees (in addition to confidentiality), HTTPS consumes significantly more computational resources, and requires that the hosting server act without malice in generating responses and in protecting the publisher's private key.


The first large-scale network of tree-ring chronologies from the western Mediterranean (WM; 32°N–43°N, 10°W–17°E) is described and analyzed to identify the seasonal climatic signal in indices of annual ring width. Correlation and rotated empirical orthogonal function analyses are applied to 85 tree-ring series and corresponding gridded climate data to assess the climate signal embedded in the network. Chronologies range in length from 80 to 1129 years. Monthly correlations and partial correlations show overall positive associations for Pinus halepensis (PIHA) and Cedrus atlantica (CDAT) with winter (December–February) and spring (March–May) precipitation across this network. In both seasons, the precipitation correlation with PIHA is stronger, while CDAT chronologies tend to be longer. A combination of positive correlations between growth and winter–summer precipitation and negative partial correlations with growing season temperatures suggests that chronologies in at least part of the network reflect soil moisture and the integrated effects of precipitation and evapotranspiration signal. The range of climate response observed across this network reflects a combination of both species and geographic influences. Western Moroccan chronologies have the strongest association with the North Atlantic Oscillation.


The authors developed a process to produce a reliably fitting face mask from materials that were immediately available to health care workers, to reduce the risk of infection. Multiple materials and designs were developed to produce face masks that focused on ease of production, the ability to generate a reliable facial seal, and the ability to tailor the mask for those who did not fit commercially available N95 masks. Two final designs were selected. Mask components were assembled into kits and distributed to community sewists. Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles were developed for quality improvement. A process was successfully developed to produce 5000 face masks in a period of 3 weeks that fit almost all (95%) health care workers who did not fit in a commercially available mask. The process was able to produce quality face masks with specific attention paid to developing masks that would pass qualitative fit testing.


Background and Objectives: Chlamydia trachomatis is a sexually transmitted organism and an important public health problem in the sexually active age group. Limited studies are found regarding the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis in Nepal. Moreover, no study in Nepal reports the association of Chlamydia and HIV infection. The current study attempts to determine the burden of Chlamydia on HIV positive patients. Material and Methods: A total of 117 HIV positive patients visiting a HIV clinic in Kathmandu, were screened for Chlamydia infection. For this, Urine samples were collected and analyzed using the Multiplex polymerase chain reaction technique (MPCR) and Agarose gel electrophoresis. DNA isolation was performed using QIAamp DNA and Blood mini kit handbook protocol. Results: C. trachomatis was detected in 4.27% of the total 117 HIV patients. Out of positive cases 60% were males and 40% were females. However, Chlamydia is found more prevalent among females (6.89%) than in males (3.4%). Eighty percent of positive cases were asymptomatic. Conclusion: Chlamydia infection was found less commonly among studied patients and most of those cases were asymptomatic. So there is difficulty in timely detection of C. trachomatis and track the clinical sequel, which might be devastating. Hence, routine checkup is recommended for all suspected cases for timely management of the disease Janaki Medical College Journal of Medical Sciences (2013) Vol. 1 (2): 3-10 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jmcjms.v1i2.9261


The impact of exchange rate change on the domestic price level which is called as exchange rate pass through has long been of interest in international economics literature. Along with the application of inflation targeting regime widely, the focus of this interest has also evolved to examine the changes in degree and speed of exchange rate pass through under inflation targeting regime. Turkey, adopted Inflation Targeting (IT) as a monetary regime between 2001 and 2006 implicitly and then explicitly, exhibits which was a genuine experience to be analyzed in this respect. From this point of view, the goal of the study is to provide a time-series analysis of exchange rate pass-through for Turkish economy based on single equation Error Correction Model estimation using the monthly data under pre-IT period 1995-2000 and post-IT period 2006-2014. Thus, we try to clarify the effectiveness of inflation targeting regime as monetary policy on the exchange rate pass-through. The findings of the study indicate that the exchange rate pass-through decreased in the post-IT period compared to preIT period. Accordingly, it can be argued that the implication of inflation targeting regime reduced exchange rate pass through in Turkey.


Artists skilled in performing classical music and dance, geisha are famous the world over as emblems of Japanese culture at its most erotic and exotic. Everything from novels and comedies to fashion and films document Euro-American fascination with geisha from the late 19 th through the 20 th centuries. Japanese essayists have long, and often ruefully, observed this foreign curiosity for the geisha gaaru . Yet, the literature on geisha in Japan includes a range of works, too, including fiction, academic study, tips for would-be connoisseurs as well as memoirs and etiquette manuals penned by geisha themselves. Well into the twenty-first century, geisha still intrigue at home and abroad. Exploring multiple representations of geisha in an Asian Studies course easily engages students, but also challenges them to think critically. Not only do they learn about geisha past and present, but they also understand geisha studies as a field. Their study also explores the constructed nature of gender, leading to comparisons of Japan, the U.S., and a host of models of ideal femininity and masculinity. It is students' involvement with learning how knowledge is produced, fantasies sustained, and questions asked and avoided, that makes teaching the geisha course rewarding.


Summary Electron microscope observations of the photoreceptor of the tadpole larva of Ciona intestinalis show the ocellus to consist of about 10 cells. It is made up of 3 parts: a pigment cup, a lens system, and a retina. A single cup-shaped cell filled with membrane-bound pigment granules lies between the lens and the retinal cells. Part of the lens cell is contained within its concavity. The pigment granules are arranged to keep stray light from falling upon the photoreceptor endings. The lens system has 3 lens vesicles arranged in a line along the main axis of the pigment cup cell. The spherical vesicles are usually contained within a single cell. Each vesicle is separated from the rest of the lens cell cytoplasm by a single-layered sphere of mitochondria. No membrane separates the vesicle contents from the rest of the lens cell cytoplasm. The retinal cells lie above the dorsal arm of the pigment cup cell, and have tubular processes that pass through it to end as piles of membranes closely applied to the lens cell. Morphologically the photoreceptor units of the ascidian tadpole closely resemble the visual cells of the vertebrates, the piled photoreceptor membrane corresponding to the outer segment of the vertebrate rod cell and the tubular part to the connecting piece of a retinal rod.