Abstract Thirty pet ferrets with adrenocortical disease (ACD) of varying severity and duration were evaluated for response to a single administration of a slow release 4.7 mg deslorelin acetate implant. Clinical response to deslorelin was monitored via a physical examination performed every 3 to 4 months. Adrenal ultrasound measurements were taken every 3-4 months until clinical relapse. At clinical relapse, duration of symptom suppression and adrenal size and growth were determined. Administration of a single 4.7 mg implant of deslorelin acetate resulted in significant decreases in the clinical signs and hormonal concentrations associated with ACD. Within 14 days post-implant, vulvar swelling, pruritus, sexual behaviors and aggression decreased or disappeared. Hair re-growth was evident by 4-6 weeks post implant. Within two months post deslorelin implant, plasma concentrations of steroid hormones decreased: mean estradiol concentration decreased 28%; 17-hydroxyprogesterone levels decreased 89% and androstenedione levels decreased 88%. The response to a single 4.7 mg implant of deslorelin acetate was transitory. The mean ± SD time to recurrence of clinical signs was 17.6 ± 5.0 months (range, 8.0-30.0 months). Repeated ultrasound measurements revealed no statistical difference in size of the adrenals (right or left) before, during the months of deslorelin implant and at clinical relapse. Slow release 4.7 mg deslorelin implants can effectively be used to temporarily eliminate the clinical signs and reduce steroid hormone concentrations in ferrets with ACD. This dose of deslorelin does appear to influence adrenal tumor growth causing a decrease in adrenal size in some ferrets, and mild enlargement of adrenal glands in most ferrets with 2 of 30 implanted animals developing large tumors before clinical relapse. The long-term effect of treatment with deslorelin on adrenal tumor pathology requires additional investigation. At this time, surgical removal of the adrenal tumor remains the only curative treatment; however, 4.7 mg deslorelin implants are useful in the long-term management of ACD hormone-induced sequelae and may be as effective assurgical management.


This study is about inner rhythm of Korean modern poetry. It is remained one of the most complicate and ambiguous concept. This paper therefore intends to considering the process of the transplantation and settlement of it in 1920's. That period was the original space of the Korean modern literature. This concept was transplanted form the western together free verse in 1920's. At that time, it had two dimensions. One was the dimension of anti-rhythm that all traditional rhythm were denied. The other was the dimension of combination content with form. If the former was formal concept, the later was very expansive and constructive concept. But it was necessary to settle through poetic practices in Korean cultural context. It was the middle 1920's that those practices had been acted. Here those practices could be divided two directions. One direction could be found in Kim So-weol's Poetic Soul(詩魂) that was very creative poetic theory. He focused on the possibilities of the presonality of poets in it. Meanwhile the other direction could be found in Kim-Eok who was the most important poet of the school of nationalistic literature. He concentrated his attention on the construction for Cho-seon poetic form which was filled with Cho-seon emotion. For him free verse has seemed to be very dangerous form which confused with prose. The reason why he denyed inner rhythm. In this process the possibility of inner rhythm couldn' help reducing in formal dimension.


Redirected Walking (RDW) allows users to perform real walking in virtual worlds that are larger than the available physical space. Many RDW algorithms rely on the prediction of users' possible paths in the virtual environment (VE) to calculate where users should be redirected to. This prediction could be obtained from the structure of the VE, where users look, or from existing path models. In this work, we examine users' walking behaviors in the presence of a virtual agent acting as a tour guide. Results showed that users changed their speed significantly to match the agent's walking speed. Furthermore, users also tend to adapt their trajectories to match with the agent's path.


The use of exercises and games—broadly defined as structured activities designed to illustrate a specific point—has increased. Before using them, the instructor needs to consider carefully the problems involved. The author discusses three basic concerns in the utilization of exercises and games: selection and preparation, implementation, and evaluation. The way the issues raised in this article are handled determines the ultimate effectiveness of exercises and games in student learning.


Summary.  Background: Little is known about residual abnormalities after pulmonary embolism (PE). Objectives: To assess risk factors and the clinical significance of perfusion defects in patients with PE. Patients/Methods: Consecutive patients receiving at least 3 months of anticoagulant for an acute PE were included in a prospective cohort study. Ventilation/perfusion lung scan, echocardiography, 6‐min walk test, thrombophilia and hemostatic variables were performed 6–12 months after PE. Perfusion defect was defined as a perfusion defect in at least two segments. Results: Seventy‐three out of 254 patients (29%) had perfusion defects during follow‐up (median 12 months) and were more likely to have dyspnea, had a higher systolic pulmonary arterial pressure [39 mmHg (SD) (12) vs. 31 mmHg (8); P < 0.001] and walked a shorter distance during the 6‐min walk test [374 m (122) vs. 427 m (99); P = 0.004]. Age [odds ratio (OR) 1.35; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.11–1.63], the time interval between symptom onset and diagnosis (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.04–1.31), pulmonary vascular obstruction at the onset of PE (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.16–1.55) and previous venous thromboembolism (OR 2.06; 95% CI, 1.03–4.11) were independent predictors of perfusion defect after treatment of acute PE. Total tissue factor pathway inhibitor concentration was associated with perfusion defects. Conclusions: Perfusion defects are associated with an increase in pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and functional limitation. Age, longer times between symptom onset and diagnosis, initial pulmonary vascular obstruction and previous venous thromboembolism were associated with perfusion defects.


I have argued we are not free in the sense required for moral responsibility, while at the same time a conception of life without this type of free will would not be devastating to morality or to our sense of meaning in life, and in certain respects it may even be beneficial ( cf.  Pereboom 2001). In this article, I explore which sorts of emotional attitudes are consistent with a denial of the sort of free will required for moral responsibility, and whether they can sustain a meaningful life. In the process, I respond to Shaun Nichols's recent criticism of my position ( cf.  Nichols 2007).


The New US Nuclear Doctrine: Revolution in Strategic Concepts?
With the end of the Cold War, it was largely hoped that States would enter into a phase of disarmament. From this perspective, the nuclear deterrence and the concept of balance of powers seemed outdated. However, today the United States is facing new threats; in order to combat them, the new nuclear policy, praised by the American army, recommends that the nuclear arsenal be modernized so that the president may have at his disposal a complete set of weapons, allowing him to deter all attempts of assault. Therefore, the eventuality of the use of nuclear weapons is trivialized, and efforts at deterrence are weakened. Although the Russian-American agreement, signed in Moscow on the 24th of May 2002, looked like a disarmament agreement, it does not prevent the two countries from continuing to developing their arsenal. Thus, in the century to come, the American arsenal will be maintained at the same level as that reached by the end of the Cold War.


Background Pre-anesthetic evaluation is an important aspect of perioperative patient management. However, anesthesiologists often encounter challenges during anesthesia due to conditions that are not detected during pre-anesthetic evaluations. Case Case 1 involved a 74-year-old female patient scheduled for cranioplasty and meningioma excision. Severe pancytopenia was detected during anesthesia. Cranioplasty was only performed, the surgery was terminated, and drug-induced pancytopenia was diagnosed and treated. The pre-anesthetic test results were normal, except for anemia. Case 2 involved a 71-year-old male patient who discovered large ecchymosis during general anesthesia preparation in the operating room for choledochal cyst surgery. Surgery was canceled to evaluate the bleeding tendency, and acquired coagulation factor VIII deficiency was diagnosed and treated. The pre-anesthetic tests were normal, except for prolongation of the activated partial thromboplastin time. Conclusions Abrupt hematologic and hemostatic changes may occur during anesthesia even though pre-anesthetic evaluation findings are normal.


In recent years, hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (DLC) films have attracted great interest because of their unique tribological properties. Earlier work showed that the friction coefficient of the diamond-like carbon (DLC) films varies between 0.001 and 0.6, depending on the synthesis method, counter-face materials and testing conditions. In this project, we investigated the effect of relative humidity on the friction properties of two kinds of hydrogenated diamond-like carbon films: one contained sulfur, and another was sulfurfree. Both kinds of hydrogenated carbon films were grown by magnetron sputtering of graphite in an argon-hydrogen plasma or argon-hydrogen-hydrogen sulfuride plasma. Both plasma contained about 13% hydrogen gas. The influence of sulfur content and substrate bias on the friction properties and the surface topography of the films was also investigated.


Alternative splicing has a significant impact in the process of gene regulation and it greatly raises the complexity of protein species and functions. At present, the gene function has been extensively studied, and there are multiple public databases of gene function annotations. Due to the high cost and the large number of isoforms, it is currently impossible to conduct extensive experimental analysis on isoform functions. Functions at the level of splicing isoforms remain largely unknown. Computational prediction provides an alternative to functional annotation of splice isoforms. Here we present GraphIsoFun, a novel computational approach to predict isoform function by integrating both gene and isoform-level expression information with graph neural network. It first constructs a heterogeneous co-expression network with both genes and isoforms being nodes. This network integrates the rich association between isoforms and genes, and provides a bridge for connecting isoform and gene functions. Then GraphIsoFun uses the graph neural network to mine the information of the co-expression network and obtains the final prediction score of isoforms for each function. The experiments on multiple datasets show that GraphIsoFun surpasses existing methods based on different evaluation indicators.


IN THE SPRING of 1918, Paul U. Kellogg, editor of the Survey, returned from a visit to Great Britain. Heartened by the support for Wilson's principles for a just and durable peace that he had found in British Labour and Liberal circles, he was struck by the total lack of organized backing for the President's liberal foreign policy in his own country. What would happen to the ideas advocated by Wilson if he did not live to work for their realization? If a crisis occurred and the President had to struggle against imperialist aims of the Allies, what would protect him against the charge that his country was not with him? How could reactionary pressures against a liberal foreign policy be offset? To Kellogg, there was one answer to these questions: American liberals had to rally behind Wilson's peace aims in an organization devoted to serious study of the problems involved and to winning mass support for the President's policy. He felt that it was high time to study the possibilities and lay the groundwork for such a group. Thus he asked a few like-minded friends to meet for a discussion of his plans on April 23, 1918. Instead of the half-dozen expected, three times that number appeared, and Kellogg's suggestions were enthusiastically approved. Among those present were Charles A. Beard, Winston Churchill, Herbert Croly, and Will Durant, as well as representatives of all the major liberal journals: the Dial, the Independent, the Nation, the New Republic, the Public, and the Survey. Out of this first meeting of what was called the "Committee on Nothing at All" grew an organization that by June 1918 called itself "Committee on American Policy"; by August 1918, "Committee on American Policy in International Relations"; from April 1921 to the present, "Foreign Policy Association." Between November i918 and March 1921, it operated as the "League of Free Nations Association," and this group is of major significance in an assessment of liberal attitudes in the League of Nations controversy.'


We propose a novel double-branched circuit configuration for a 1×N optical switch. This compact configuration offers a high port count without greatly increasing power consumption. The fabricated 4-arrayed 1×29 silica-based PLC switch exhibits an insertion loss as low as 2.6 dB.


Determination of the mixing-induced $C\!P$-violating phase $\phi_{s}$ and decay width difference $\Delta\Gamma_{s}$ in $\bar{b}\to\bar{c}c\bar{s}$ decays is one of the main goals of the LHCb experiment. Thanks to the precise prediction of the $\phi_{s}$ value within the Standard Model, it represents an excellent probe to search for new physics. The measurements of $\phi_{s}$ and $\Delta\Gamma_{s}$ at LHCb are reviewed including results from the 3.0~fb$^{-1}$ dataset accumulated during 2011-2012. Further measurement improvement is expected from the inclusion of results obtained using decay modes with smaller branching fraction.


This paper studies the flow of funds and portfolio behaviour of Indian banks from 1951 to 1994. In this period, financial controls such as variable reserve ratios were important constraints on bank behaviour, especially before liberalization took place in the early 1990s. We estimate a system of demand functions which uses as framework the Almost Ideal Demand System and which incorporates the reserve ratio regulations. Attention is paid to cointegration and to structural breaks. The estimated model provides coherent and plausible parameter estimates for prices and other variables. We find that a standard portfolio model can usefully be applied to the study of financial behaviour in a developing economy such as India, and some interesting policy implications can be drawn.


The genetic and immunophenotypic characteristics of a 3‐year‐old patient with Blau syndrome (BS), an early onset sarcoidosis caused by mutations in NOD2, were investigated. Molecular analysis of NOD2 gene was achieved by PCR and direct nucleotide sequencing. Immunophenotyping included cytometric analysis of memory‐effector markers on T‐cells, and cytokine in serum, aqueous humour and vitreous. A novel M513R mutation in NOD2 was demonstrated. Immunophenotyping revealed higher frequency of CCR4+ cells and CCR9+ cells on CD4+ cells; most CD8+ cells were CCR7− and CCR9+. IL6 and IL‐8 were detected in a gradient manner: vitreous humour > aqueous humour > serum. The immunophenotype in this patient was characterized by a differential expression of chemokine receptors on T cells and by a particular ocular microenvironment enriched in IL‐6 and IL‐8. To our knowledge, this is the first study analysing the immunological features of BS at aqueous humour, vitreous and blood levels. Our results expand the knowledge of the genetic and immunopathological basis of BS.


Despite plant quarantine systems, many organisms have been unintentionally introduced by the rapid expansion of international trade. Xylocopa tranquebarorum, a large species of carpenter bee that nests in bamboo shoots, was introduced into Japan approximately 5 years ago and, along with its specifically associated mite, has established populations in Toyota and Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture and Anpachi in Gifu Prefecture. Because X. tranquebarorum only nests in dead bamboo shoots and because its associated mite differs from the mite species associated with X. tranquebarorum in Taiwan but is morphologically similar to the species described in India, Indonesia, and China, we suspect that X. tranquebarorum and its mite were introduced via processed bamboo shoots from continental Asia. Because the most probable pathway of associated microorganisms is host introduction, biological and ecological information, such as an inventory of symbionts, is crucial to avoid the risk of invasive symbiotic microorganisms. Although X. tranquebarorum may become a pest in the bamboo industry if its distribution is expanded by human transport, its associated mite is suspected to be of low risk as house dust but to have a high contamination risk for the Japanese endemic mite, Sennertia alfkeni, associated with native Japanese carpenter bees.


In an event-based series of on-site activities with high school students through an Action Science approach, fundamental concepts were explored including the foundations for functions, geometric think and spatial reasoning, the development of mathematical models, as well as techniques for working with spatial figures to understand underlying relationships. The activities in which students participated were designed to teach fundamental mathematics concepts in algebra and geometry in an approach that utilized transformative educational strategies, which helped students move from memorizing facts and content to constructing knowledge in meaningful and useful manners. With an emphasis on a collaborative data collection process, students proposed solutions to problems in which they interacted with action sports athletes who performed maneuvers on ramps and other props. The team of athletes, utilizing a peer-mentor approach, worked alongside the students in activities that incorporated mathematics, while the students collected real world data. These interactions within field-based learning opportunities allowed the students to explore practical applications of mathematics principles in geometry and algebra in the context of BMX and skateboarding.


This paper presents an overview of wireless integrated sensor node realizations for indoor monitoring and localization applications. Depending on the targeted application scenario different wireless sensor node implementations based on either high-performance processors or semi-passive radio-frequency identification (RFID) cores are outlined. The presented high-performance node realization with monitoring and seamless indoor and outdoor localization capability can operate independently for a duration of one day and additionally features wireless charging. Furthermore, a UHF RFID Gen2 sensor tag for indoor localization and fall detection is presented that enables a battery lifetime of approximately one month. Finally, ultra-low-power UHF RFID sensor node concepts based on sub-threshold wake-up receivers are introduced that can achieve operational times of several years for specific low duty cycle scenarios.


Remember that concept you really struggled with at medical school? Remember reading a myriad of resources in a frustrated attempt to understand it? Remember when it clicked and everything made sense? That was probably a threshold concept. On reflection, I bet you struggle to recount why it was troublesome. Possibly you felt alone and frustrated or even uncomprehending? Now imagine that you had been taught at the start of your course to expect and seek such moments of struggle on the border to understanding, encouraged to see these encounters not as moments of weakness, but as exciting liminal moments in which your understanding was about to make a significant and sometimes seismic shift. Would that have affected the way in which you grappled with those concepts?


The fifteenth conference of "Transport 7+1 Forum" sets its theme as "theoretical system of the integrated transport development".The integrated transport system,an essential subsystem of the whole national economy system,has its own development rules and generally consists of railway,highway,waterway,air,and pipeline transport.This conference discusses relevant issues about building theoretical system of the integrated transport development.To effectively prompt integrated transport development and to train advanced talents for interegrated transport planning,construction,and management,it analyzes the curriculum design and trainning program for traffic and transportation education both in demestic and international colleges and universities.It further discusses the probable curriculum design and knowledge framework for the integrated transportation education in China.During this conference,the concept of establishing the platform with theoretical research and practical application is put forward,and some suggestions are also proposed for further development.


The rate of redo surgeries are increasing on account of previously performed coronary artery bypass graft surgeries, aortic/ mitral valve replacement surgeries due to valve stenosis/ regurgitation, mitral valve repair for ischemic mitral regurgitation, the aging in the population, mechanical valve thrombosis and wearing out of the mechanical valves.Resternotomy, anterolateral right thoracotomy or anterolateral left thoracotomy can be prefered for redo mitral valve surgery. Redo on pump beating heart mitral valve surgery via a anterolateral right thoracotomy is safer and reduces the injury risk of patent grafts, adherent tissues and ventricles. Here we present redo mitral valve replacement of the two patients via anterolateral right thoracotomy.


Earnshaw's theorem prohibits stable static levitation of permanent magnets in stationary fields with no energy input. However, by a proper placement of a diamagnetic material, the levitation is stabilized and two distinct suspension arrays (vertical and radial) are obtained. This compact implementations works without superconductors and may require no energy input. For the vertical stabilized configuration, this paper establishes the equilibrium and stability condition using an analytical procedure of magnetic field computation. An experimental model based on strong permanent magnets (NdFeB) and pyrolytic graphite validates these analytical results.


Sulfide solid electrolytes (SEs) represent one most promising technical routes to realize all‐solid‐state batteries (ASSBs) due to their high ionic conductivity and low mechanical stiffness. However, the poor air/moisture/water stability of sulfide SEs leads to completely destroyed structure/composition, reduced Li+ conductivity, and toxic H2S release, limiting their practical application in ASSBs. To solve this problem, a universal method applicable to all types of sulfide SEs is developed to realize water‐stable sulfide SE membranes, by spray coating a Li+‐conductive superhydrophobic protection layer with Li1.4Al0.4Ti1.6(PO4)3 (LATP) nanoparticles and fluorinated polysiloxane (F‐POS) via hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate and 1H,1H,2H,2H‐perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane molecules. The F‐POS@LATP coating layer exhibits excellent superhydrophobicity (water static contact angles > 160°) to resist extreme exposure (direct water jetting), because of its micro‐/nanoscale roughness and low surface energy. Moreover, ASSBs using the extreme‐condition‐exposed modified Li6PS5Cl membrane exhibit a reversible capacity of 147.3 mAh g‐1, comparable with the ASSBs using pristine sulfide membranes. The superhydrophobic Li+‐conducting layer is demonstrated to be an effective protection method for sulfide membranes so that they remain stable and functionable in extreme water exposure conditions, providing a new approach to protect all types of sulfide SEs and other air/moisture/water‐sensitive materials without sacrificing electrochemical performance.


Over the last decade, in the United States in particular, there has been an increasingly acute awareness of historic and ongoing social, racial, gender, and other disparities, and the frequent deployment of categories (for example BIPOC, LGBTQQIA2SP+, Latinx) and concepts (for example 'cultural appropriation', 'white privilege', 'intersectionality') that centre thinking and conversations around various axes of difference. For some critics, the hyper-focus on questions of difference is dismissed as 'wokeness', and its seeming ascendency across elite spaces—academic, cultural, and corporate—is viewed with alarm, particularly insofar as its advocates are seen to champion a type of illiberalism. Others have raised concerns that hyper-identitarianism may diminish possibilities for worker and class solidarity, or that it represents only an attenuated form of social justice. This article adds to this conversation by asking whether the energetic foregrounding of difference typical of 'wokeness' does not also pose a spiritual conundrum. To explore this question, it outlines what is here called the 'connective worldview', which draws from deep ecology, spiritual practices, and mystical insights common to many religious traditions to understand humans and their identities as interdependent, ephemeral and, ultimately, subject to transcendence. The article contrasts this with the 'particularistic worldview', which tends to set both individual and group identities in sharp relief, emphasizing the need to honour and manage difference. It argues that an 'integrated' perspective—one that strikes a balance between both worldviews—will be key for activists looking to foment social change while forging a larger 'we' in diverse, pluralistic societies.


In a voice recognition system which can immediately recognize and analyze a voice input by an operator, the system includes: a microphone for converting a voice to an electrical voice signal having a voice sound portion and a non-voice portion; an acoustic processing unit for detecting a power and spectrum of the electrical voice signal in accordance with a predetermined sampling time interval, and outputting a power time-series data and a spectrum time-series data at the predetermined sampling time interval to produce a feature time-series data; voice section detection unit for receiving the power time-series data from the acoustic processing unit, detecting a start point and an end point of the voice sound portion, and outputting an end decision signal when the end of the voice sound portion is decided; a word dictionary for storing word labels, word numbers corresponding to the word labels, and word templates constituted by the feature time-series data corresponding to the word labels, the word labels being ordered in accordance with frequency of use of the word; a verification unit for receiving the feature time-series data of the voice to be verified, verifying the feature time-series data with the word template stored in the word dictionary, and calculating a degree of similarity between the voice and the word template; sorting unit for sorting data calculated in the verification unit in accordance with the degree of similarity, the data being sorted in order of the higher degree of similarity; selection unit for selecting one or more words having higher degree of similarity from words sorted in the sorting unit, and outputting these words to a display unit; a word frequency dictionary for storing word labels, word numbers corresponding to each word label, word templates constituted by the feature time-series data corresponding to each word label, and frequency data attached to each word label; and word dictionary sorting unit provided between the word dictionary and the word frequency dictionary, and for sorting the word label of the word frequency dictionary in accordance with order of higher frequency degree, and outputting sorted words to the word dictionary.


In the next generation digital terrestrial television broadcasting (DTTB) for mobile terminal, high data rate transmission is required to provide high definition image quality. Radio modulation format will be higher order digital modulation than current scheme. And the multiple antenna techniques will be employed for increasing data rate. This paper focuses on the gap-filler system using the radio over fiber (RoF) technique, which is currently employed for providing broadcasting service at radio dead zone such as underground city and in tunnel space. In this paper, system configuration is assumed next generation broadcasting signal with minimal modification from current system. The gap-filler system receives broadcasting signal at a fixed antenna and re-radiate after RoF transmission. The relationship between modulation error ratio (MER) at a mobile TV receiver and received RF power at fixed reception is evaluated by using computer simulation.


Objective To probe into the effective measures in order to recede the scathing rate of brain in conversible training. Methods To choice 582 fighters who take part in the training of scouters of a group army act as the intervenor in 2000. At the same time, to choice the 498 fighters who take part in the training of scouters in 1999 act as control experiment. Results The rate of brain in conversible training decrease from 29.7% to 14.6% after intervention. Conclusion The effective intervention can decrease the rate of brain in conversible training.


To set up a method for detecting the proteinase activity of Malassezia spp, and compare the proteinase activity of standard strains with that of the strains isolated from clinical specimens. Totally 7 standard strains of Malasse zia spp, 33 of M.furfur, 12 of M.sympodialis, 4 of M.obtusa isolated from clinical specimens and 28 of M.furfur isolated from healthy persons were cultured on the whole-fat-cow's-milk plate and BSA plate at 32℃ for 14 days respectively to test the proteinase activities. The effect of temperature, pH and proteinase inhibitor on this assay were also evaluated. All the 7 strains of Malassezia showed activity of proteinase with different levels. There was significant difference of proteinase activity between the M.furfur isolated from clinical specimens a nd those from healthy persons. The optimal temperature and pH for determing the proteinase activity are 32℃ and pH5.5 respectively. The proteinase activity can be inhibited by EDTA. It's the simple and reliable method to detect the activity of proteinase in the lipophilic yeast of Malassezia. It seems that proteinase activity may be correlated with the virulence.


We consider intercultural competence as the ability of future professionals to interact effectively with people, who are representatives of other cultures, and to pursue effective professional activities, taking into account the difference between the stereotypes of thinking of different peoples.Effective formation of intercultural competence in future specialists of socionomic professions in institutions of higher education is possible for the realization of educational technologies that lead to the students' understanding of their own culture and acquisition of personal cultural outlook, an objective attitude to cultural differences between peoples, gaining knowledge of different cultural worldviews, acquisition of intercultural communication skills. The structure of formation of social-psychological and pedagogical components of intercultural competence of future specialists includes cognitive, affective, operational and behavioral components. It is substantiated that the development of cognitive motives in the teaching audience is an important condition for studying and understanding other cultures, and therefore the formation of intercultural competence of students of institutions of higher education.This article outlines possible ways of forming the personal intercultural competence of future specialists using game pedagogical technologies. The great role of pedagogical games in the teaching of students of socionomic professions is defined, as they are characterized by considerable scientific and practical potential. In the course of the game, students consolidate knowledge about the cultures of other nations and nationalities, gain experience in applying in practice the knowledge they have learned, and meaningfully develop respect for representatives of other cultures. It has been established that the formation of intercultural competence occurs through effective role-playing of intercultural situations from pieces of literary and scientific works, solving creatively aimed at other-cultural cases and professional tasks.The practical orientation of the intercultural competence of future specialists of socionomic professions, the essence of which is the ability of students to understand, communicate and effectively interact with individuals, that are representatives of other cultures, is determined.


Autosomal dominant primary familial brain calcifica-tion (PFBC) is a rare cerebral microvascular calcifying disorder defined by the presence of calcifications affecting at least the basal ganglia with no secondary cause. It is associated with diverse symptoms including movement disorders, psychiatric disturbances, and cognitive impairment. 1 PFBC is caused by loss-of-function mutations in 2 groups of genes: (1) PDGFB, which encodes the platelet-derived growth factor B 2 and PDGFRB, which encodes its main receptor platelet-derived growth factor receptor–beta (PDGFR-b) 3 and (2) SLC20A2 and XPR1 encoding inorganic phosphate transporters. 4,5 Mice carrying Pdgfb hypomorphic alleles exhibit lower pericyte coverage in cerebral microvessels, blood-brain barrier (BBB) impairment, and cerebral microvascular calcifications. 2 Recently, a novel PDGFB mutation was reported in an Italian family with PFBC and white-matter hyperintensities (WMH). 6 Although brain calcification is a mandatory criterion for diagnosing PFBC, WMH were also reported as a major neuroimaging feature in the first described families with a PDGFRB or a PDGFB mutation 2,3 (table e-1 at Neurology.org/ng). To date, the precise nature of WMH remains unknown but may be regarded as resulting from microangiopathy. This led to the hypothesis that in mice, alterations of the microves-sels leading to BBB impairment may be a causal mechanism between microangiopathy and vascular calcifications. 2 Transmission electron microscopy analysis of a skin biopsy from a patient belonging to the above-mentioned PDGFB family revealed thickened and fragmented areas in the basal lamina, consistent with microangiopathy. 6 We report here the results of skin biopsies performed in 2 patients carrying a PDGFRB and an XPR1 mutation, respectively. Methods. This study was approved by our institution's ethics committee. After having obtained written informed consent from the patients, punch biopsy was performed. Ultrastructural studies were conducted according to standardized protocols. Briefly, tissue samples were fixed in a 2% glutaraldehyde fixative solution, postfixed with osmium tetroxide, and embedded in resin epoxy. Semithin sections were stained with toluidine blue. Ultrathin sections were contrasted with uranyl acetate and lead citrate and examined under a Philips CM10 electron microscope. Results. In the proband of the family with the p.Leu658Pro PDGFRB mutation, 3 biopsy analysis revealed no lesions of endothelial cells, whereas the basal lamina was thickened, and with microcalcifications within and around the pericytes and in the basal lamina (figure, A). These microcalcifications were sometimes included in double-or single-layered membranes in the vicinity of the basal lamina (figure, B). In another patient with a recently …


A graph is a representation of a state that can be defined as an ordered set consisting of vertices and arcs. A graph can be formed based on the representation of the relationship of objects by declaring objects as vertices and relationships between objects as arcs. If the celestial body is connected with certain rules, then the celestial body can be formed a graph.The relationship of celestial bodies to each other in this paper is determined by the difference in the level of light (Mv) read magnitude. Difference Mv this paper i.e: , , dan .The purpose of this research is to form a new graph based on luminous celestial bodies (stars).This type of research is field research (field research) with descriptive qualitative approach type, the object used in the study is a star.First determine the amount of light levels of celestial bodies conducted on observations on 9 and 11 July 2019 at OIF UMSU using certain tools along with IRIS software.After the observations are obtained, a connectedness analysis is performed based on the difference in certain magnitudes so that certain graphs based on celestial bodies are obtained.


A navigation view generation apparatus according to the present invention comprises a storage unit, and the storing the first navigation time (GPS TIME) corresponding to the (Pulse Per Second) 1PPS signal generated by the satellite navigation system for synchronization with inertial navigation systems to just before the first satellite-navigation time from the satellite navigation system is stored in the storage unit upon receipt of the 1PPS signal and adding the period of the 1PPS signal, and calculating a second satellite positioning time, the first corresponding to the received 1PSS signal by including a navigation calculation for storing the navigation time in the storage unit, it is possible to calculate the exact time of the satellite navigation 1PPS generation time.


Coffee beans must be roasted before serving for drinks. While the taste of coffee is largely determined by the quality and results of the roasted beans. So far, testing the aroma of coffee is still using the eyes, tongue and nose of people who are experts in their fields. Electronic nose exists as a device with the design to imitate human smell. This instrument can be used classify coffee's aroma based on the roasting level that is commonly used as a non-subjective method. Four types of Arabica coffee bean roasting level which are green, light, medium, and dark are used as an input to the electronic nose. Ten gas sensors as detector system, and the data acquisition consist of one cycle per sample which includes five phases of collecting phase. After pre-processing and feature extraction has been done to the data set, analysis is carried out using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN). The Results show the best K value of the KNN method for the sample is K=5, a system performance evaluation shows the test data and training data into 5-fold with an accuracy value of 67.5%, a precision value of 70.22%, and a recall value of 67.5%.


An experimental study was carried out to investigate the main hull girder vibrations of Great Lakes bulk carriers. Based on the study's model tests and the related analytical work, it was found that ship springing is made up of a linear and a nonlinear component. It was also determined that the source of excitation reflected a nonlinear response resulting from the combination of two wave trains of varying frequencies. Large resonance responses were recorded when the sum of the two interacting frequencies matched the natural frequency of the hull. As a result of the study, several determinations were made with respect to: 1) dependence of nonlinear excitation on ship speed and wave aspects and (2) quadratic nature of nonlinear effects. The practical value of the study lies in the confirmation of the structural safety of "thousand-footer" Great Lakes vessels, where the resultant nonlinear excitations are proven to be negligible.


This article deals with the consequences of global governance for democratic decision-making. Does globalization lead to a decrease in opportunities for democratic decision-making to occur within nation states? Junne shows that increasing globalization leads to an increase in complex policy domains and thus an increase in the number of actors that need to be taken into consideration when making policy. This leads to four indirect consequences for democracy: changes in 'party landscape', regionalization of politics, polarization of society and huge volatility. Policy-making more and more takes place at large distance from the citizen, thus decreasing opportunities for direct democratic legitimacy.


Mingling,its concept was put forward by Gadow in 1992,is an important indicator to reflect species mutual segregation in a forest community,and is a significant forest spatial structure index.Currently,many mingling indices have been proposed.A simple mingling index Mg proposed by Gadow only involves the difference between objective trees and their nearest neighbor trees,and cannot accurately reflect the response of tree species to spatial segregation,which was noticed by Tang Mengping(2004) and Hui Gangying(2008).They put forward tree species diversity mingling Mv(further considering the number of nearest tree species) and tree species spatial status Ms(further considering the number of tree species in spatial structure unit),respectively.However,Mv and Ms cannot distinguish the difference between two of the same species on four of the nearest tree species and three of the same species on four of the nearest tree species.Actually,two of the same species on four of the nearest tree species are different in sequence and interleaving arrangement,but they are the same in the analysis of Mv and Ms.Virtually,neighborhood spatial permutation is a significant factor in describing tree species spatial segregation,which was ignored by Mv and Ms.Therefore,a new mingling index,Mp based on neighborhood spatial permutation has been put forward in this paper. "1+4" structure,which was the abbreviation of optimum spatial structure unit proposed by Hui Gangying(2003),composed by one objective tree and four of its nearest trees,and has 17 spatial structure units that are different in tree species spatial permutation.Mp was compared with Mg,Mv and Ms through 17 spatial structure units and evergreen broad-leaved data from Tianmu Mountain,a national nature reserve in Zhejiang province.Data were collected in a 1hm2(100m×100m) permanent plot that had been established in 2005.The results show that Mp has the strongest distinction among them,Mv and Ms are the second,Mg is the worst.The ranking of the different mingling values was: MgMpMs,MgMv.Ms and Mp are both able to adequately analyze the simple mixed stand.Mp is the best mingling index among them to analyze the complex mixed stand.Here,there is a high value of mingling,if Mg is used.Sometimes,Mv is unable to analyze the tree species spatial segregation.Spatial structure units which have two of the same species on four of the nearest tree species are different in sequence and interleaving arrangement,and the number of sequence arrangement is significantly more than that of interleaving,and thus there is a moderate mingling level on evergreen broad-leaved in Tianmu Mountain.Mp is based on neighborhood spatial permutation and can distinguish tree species spatial segregation accurately,and has higher distinction degree accuracy than that of traditional mingling.This better reflects the actual mixed situation of forest,and is an effective indicator to reflect species mutual segregation in a forest community."1+4" structure has 17 different spatial structure units,however,what needs further study is the number of spatial structure units in the "1+n" structure,and how to determine the deduction relation.Further,the number of units may obey certain mathematic distributions in natural mixed forests,and the mathematic distribution function may be a significant reference to measure the near-natural degree of cultivation in mixed forests.These issues need further study.


A magnetic microfluidic valve has been analyzed to improve its performance. Operation relies on the use of a permanent magnet which interacts with an electrodeposited layer of Co-Ni on a V-shaped cantilever beam. The deflection caused by the magnetic forces opens or closes the fluid flow. The microvalve performance has been optimized by means of finite element analysis. The FEA model has been experimentally validated using confocal microscopy and used to improve the magnetic circuit. Then, a fluidic cell has been built and the microvalve has been demonstrated to work as a flow regulator, when being magnetically actuated, and as a check valve. Experiments showed that the fabricated prototypes presented a good performance from 0 to 50 mbar, with control on a flow up to 18 seem.


A major preoccupation for the design of the LMJ laser is the mirrors laser damage threshold. SAGEM SA, in collaboration with the CEA, has conducted a study in order to improve the laser induced damage threshold under operational conditions.


LIVING in the last quarter of the century it is only natural to look back and try to identify the precise items that dominated world affairs in the first three quarters. One cannot fail to take note of two themes: (a) search for national identify and safeguard of national interests; (b) war against exploitation and inequality. Both are closely connected and can be conveniently called national communism. Mao was its major votary. Mao got the initial spur for a life-long war against exploitation from his boyhood experiences within his family. Mao's sensitivity was deeply hurt by the injustices, inequalities and indignities which his father inflicted on the family. Traditional teachings with their stress on the heavenly mandate, harmonious living, cyclical development, authoritarian order, and routine rituals failed


Background Bacteria utilize various methods in order to live in protection from adverse environmental conditions. One such method involves biofilm formation; however, this formation is dependent on many factors. The type and concentration of substances such as sugars that are present in an environment can be effective facilitators of biofilm formation. Methods First, the physico-chemical properties of the bacteria and the target surface were studied via the MATS and contact angle measurement methods. Additionally, adhesion to different surfaces in the presence of various concentrations of sugars was compared in order to evaluate the effect of these factors on the biofilm formation of Escherichia coli, which represents a major food contaminant. Results Results showed that the presence of sugars has no effect on the bacterial growth rate; all three concentrations of sugars were hydrophilic and demonstrated a high affinity toward binding to the surfaces. Conclusions The impact of sugars and other factors on biofilm formation can vary depending on the type of bacteria present.


This paper reviews two photonic techniques which have been recently proposed and demonstrated by us for generating tunable continuous-wave microwave signals. In general, both techniques are based on the photonic processing of a pulse-train generated by a mode-locked fiber laser.


A strategic mechanism of price adjustment is introduced to explain inflations in the U.S. during 1909-1974. The mechanism follows from our theory that when the profit rate is above a normal-target rate, competitive forces operate to lower prices while if the profit rate is below the target a correlated strategy among firms operates to generate a rise in prices as a strategy to improve profitability. The notion of "correlated strategy" is adopted from game theory. The mechanism may operate in harmony or against demand and the net effect is what we call the "basic inflation." Contrary to a-priori notions of positive association between inflation rates and profit rates, our theory proposes a critical test of a negative association between these variables. Such a relationship is in fact empirically established. The analysis shows that large and persistent inflationary pressures are generated by low profitability and during 1971-1977 those accounted for some 20%-50% of total inflation. These pressures would be present even if no increase in cost occurs. This suggests that an important cause of the 1970's inflation is the low profit rate in the private sector and any public policy against inflation will fail if it does not aim at the same time to raise the profit rate on private capital.


development as a topical antimicrobial for the treatment of skin and skin structure infections (SSSIs). The mode of action for pleuromutilin is unique and shows no cross-resistance to other classes of antibiotics and is fully active against skin bacterial isolates carrying resistance determinants to established agents including β-lactams, macrolides, quinolones, fusidic acid and mupirocin. Methods: Clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus were collected from 9 sites in the United States during 2004 and 2005. All isolates were sent to the central laboratory for testing, identification confirmation and confirmation of oxacillin resistance. Organisms were frozen at -70°C prior to evaluation. Susceptibility testing was performed using broth microdilution panels. Quality controls were performed each day of testing following Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI; formerly the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards [NCCLS]) guidelines. Results: A total of 994 S. aureus isolates were collected of which 416 or 41.9% were determined to be methicillin-resistant (MRSA). Mupirocin-resistance (MURMRSA) was detected in 61/416 or 14.7% of all MRSAs. Retapamulin MIC90s against MRSA/MURMRSA isolates is 0.12/0.12 µg/mL. The same isolates exhibited MIC90s (expressed in µg/mL) of >64/>64 for neomycin; 0.5/1 for fusidic acid; >128/>128 for bacitracin; >32/>32 for erythromycin; 32/32 for tetracycline; 2/2 for linezolid; 32/32 for cephalothin; 4/8 for gentamicin; and 16/16 for amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. Conclusions: Retapamulin demonstrated greater activity against methicillin- and mupirocin-resistant S. aureus isolates than current commonly used topical and oral antimicrobial agents in the treatment of uncomplicated SSSIs.


Remuneration and Conditions of Visiting Pathologists in Second and Third Schedule Hospitals , Specifies conditions and remuneration for visiting pathologists in public health organisations.


Abstract The study revisits the concentration–profitability nexus of the structure–conduct–performance (SCP) paradigm. It contributes to the literature by considering the argument from the perspective of causality since existing empirical works only consider a unidirectional relationship of concentration as being determined by profitability, neglecting the feedback relationship. Unlike the existing studies, this study includes loan and advances, and the deposit concentration besides the total asset to capture concentration for robustness. Using Nigerian banking industry to test our proposition, the empirical results show the existence of bi-directional relationship between profitability and banking concentration indices, implying that past banking industry concentration indices can explain the present level of profitability in the Nigerian banking industry and vice versa. Furthermore, the results of the study also show a negative relationship between banking concentration and profitability levels in Nigeria.


This paper will focus on travel accounts held in the Rare Book Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. These accounts deal with the European discovery, colonization, and exploration of America beginning with Columbus's voyage and ending in the late nineteenth century with westward expansion and Edward S. Curtis's visual exploration of the American west. I anticipate that this paper will serve as a bibliographic guide to travel accounts and primary sources relating to the European exploration and discovery, both scientific and cultural, of America from its origins in the 1490s through to the late nineteenth-century.


The invention relates to a tubular connecting rod (1), including: a hollow body (2) comprising at least one end (3) provided with an opening (4), a connecting-rod head (21) arranged so as to be fitted through the opening (4), said connecting-rod head (21) comprising at least one locking means arranged so as to position the connecting-rod head (21) relative to the opening (4) of the hollow body (2) in a predetermined locked position, said tubular connecting rod being characterized in that the end of the hollow body is provided with at least one slot (18).


Maria de Zayas's comedia, La traición en la amistad, a play about the exploration of gender roles and role reversals, subverts traditional comedia endings in which the dominant (masculine) order reestablishes itself, forcing women to return to their feminine (passive) state, and allowing men to recover their masculine (active) dominance. Because of its exploration of gender roles, the play defines itself in terms of the binary opposition masculine/feminine. The end of La traición bears this dichotomy out. Different from the final scenes in other comedias, in which one of the male characters pronounces who will marry whom, in this play the female characters make these decisions. Even though they switch gender roles, the gender construct controls the behavior of almost all the characters and disallows the possibility for individual development beyond the dichotomy. Julia Kristeva calls that possibility the "presupposed excluded middle." In La traición, Fenisa represents the "excluded middle"—an active woman, in charge of her circumstances, but forced into passivity at the end of the play by the now dominant female characters. Kristeva argues that the only resolution in a work structured on a bipolar opposition is negation of the middle. La traición plays out Kristeva's theory; by structuring her play on the male/female opposition, María de Zayas negates the "excluded middle," Fenisa, thus underscoring the double standard inherent in the comedia and 17th-century Spanish society.


A bracket, the plastic part attached to a pivot arm, is a significant part in the production of pivot arm. Due to the small size of the component, it is difficult and exhausting to manually detect the error in attaching process of the bracket. The goal of this research is to facilitate the process of quality control in detecting bracket move in a pivot arm. In particular, we utilize the Canny edge detection in microscopic images of pivot arms. We implement this method in a real-world data set. The result shows that we can achieve the estimated distances between brackets and bore holes that are very close to the measurements by a smart scope.


This paper presents a deep learning-based method to estimate gait attributes (e.g., stately, cool, relax, etc.). Similarly to the existing studies on relative attribute, human perception-based annotations on the gait attributes are given to pairs of gait videos (i.e., the first one is better, tie, and the second one is better), and the relative annotations are utilized to train a ranking model of the gait attribute. More specifically, we design a Siamese (i.e., two-stream) network which takes a pair of gait inputs and output gait attribute score for each. We then introduce a suitable loss function called a signed contrastive loss to train the network parameters with the relative annotation. Unlike the existing loss functions for learning to rank does not inherit a nice property of a quadratic contrastive loss, the proposed signed quadratic contrastive loss function inherits the nice property. The quantitative evaluation results reveal that the proposed method shows better or comparable accuracies of relative attribute prediction against the baseline methods.


Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond crystal is considered as an ideal material platform for Raman lasers with both high power and good beam quality due to its excellent Raman and thermal characteristics. With the continuous development of CVD diamond crystal growth technology, diamond Raman lasers (DRLs) have shown significant advantages in achieving wavelength expansion with both high beam quality and high-power operation. However, with the output power of DRLs reaching the kilowatt level, the adverse effect of the thermal impact on the beam quality is progressively worsening. Aiming to enunciate the underlying restrictions of the thermal effects for high-power DRLs (e.g., recently reported 1.2 kW), we here establish a thermal-structural coupling model, based on which the influence of the pump power, cavity structure, and crystal size have been systematically studied. The results show that a symmetrical concentric cavity has less thermal impact on the device than an asymmetrical concentric cavity. Under the ideal heat dissipation condition, the highest temperature rise in the diamond crystal is 23.4 K for an output power of ~2.8 kW. The transient simulation further shows that the heating and cooling process of DRLs is almost unaffected by the pump power, and the times to reach a steady state are only 1.5 ms and 2.5 ms, respectively. In addition, it is also found that increasing the curvature radius of the cavity mirror, the length and width of the crystal, or decreasing the thickness of the crystal is beneficial to alleviating the thermal impact of the device. The findings of this work provide some helpful insights into the design of the cavity structure and heat dissipation system of DRLs, which might facilitate their future development towards a higher power.


A trend towards performance-based contracting (PBC) can be observed in public infrastructure maintenance. PBC is an approach of tying the contractor's payment to specified performance. We investigated PBC for the maintenance of highways and roads in the Netherlands. Functional specifications tend to change constantly, and the client tends to jump in and take over responsibilities, which contradicts PBC principles. Incentives encourage undesirable behaviours by contractors. At the end of a project a contractor may not take responsibility for cost, quality or time problems. Clients should recognize and acknowledge the actual balance of power in the relationship with their (main) contractors.


Traditional failure modes and effects analysis techniques have been adapted and extended to include assessment of software failures. The resulting technique is used to assess the safety of embedded real-time control systems designed for use in automotive applications. The use of FMEA techniques in assessing the software safety of those controllers has allowed analysis of the effects of a more comprehensive set of potential failures, including data corruption, than is practical using other software safety analysis techniques. The ability to assess the results of data corruption has proven to be crucial in providing feedback to design teams about the potential safety risks of the designs analyzed.<<ETX>>


This paper studied the environmental impact assessment system of light pollution from glass curtain walls through analyzing two buildings.It proposed that the character of glare and the assessed grade of discomfort glare could be defined as the standard for the assessment and that the pollution range and controlling measures could be determined by calculation.The result verified the effectiveness and practicability of the system.


The first stable complex formed during the assembly of spliceosomes onto pre-mRNA substrates in mammals includes U1 snRNP, which recognizes the 5′ splice site, and the splicing factors SF1 and U2AF, which bind the branch point sequence, polypyrimidine tract, and 3′ splice site. The 5′ and 3′ splice site complexes are thought to be joined together by protein–protein interactions mediated by factors that ensure the fidelity of the initial splice site recognition. In this study, we identified and characterized PRPF40B, a putative mammalian ortholog of the U1 snRNP-associated yeast splicing factor Prp40. PRPF40B is highly enriched in speckles with a behavior similar to splicing factors. We demonstrated that PRPF40B interacts directly with SF1 and associates with U2AF65. Accordingly, PRPF40B colocalizes with these splicing factors in the cell nucleus. Splicing assays with reporter minigenes revealed that PRPF40B modulates alternative splice site selection. In the case of Fas regulation of alternative splicing, weak 5′ and 3′ splice sites and exonic sequences are required for PRPF40B function. Placing our data in a functional context, we also show that PRPF40B depletion increased Fas/CD95 receptor number and cell apoptosis, which suggests the ability of PRPF40B to alter the alternative splicing of key apoptotic genes to regulate cell survival.


For many years there has been a need to assemble, under one cover, state-of-the-knowledge guidance on the better practices being employed to address the full array of issues which can arise from highway and utility facilities sharing common right-of-way. The Highway/Utility Guide is such a document. It provides useful information relevant to joint use issues, a historical perspective, and good current practices. Issues addressed in the Highway/Utility Guide include: planning and coordination, design, permits, information management and mapping, notification procedures, legal, safety, construction, maintenance, relocation reimbursement, and others.


Method for separating one or more heavy hydrocarbon gas from a mixed gas containing methane heavy hydrocarbon gas component. This method is carried out in a swing adsorption system comprising an adsorbent contactor having a plurality of flow channels, 20 volume percent of the cavity pore volume of the contactor or less, in the range of mesopores and macropores. .FIELD 1


Numerous concurrency control methods have been proposed for distributed databases. Various crz·teria are used to compare these methods. The comparisons range from qualitative overviews through quantitative analyses to theoretical studies. A quantitative study based on an abstract model of concurrency control methods is presented, where the overheads of the methods are analytically compared using a set of evaluation parameters. After an overview of the model's development, lt is presented Zn detail. As an example it is applied to two-phase locking as can be used in a fully-redundant distributed environment. It is concluded that although the model h,as shortcomings, it does provide a framework according to whfrh distributed database concurrency controls can be comp11red. Received August 1987, Accepted July 1988


The stability of two factor Xa inhibitors (MLN1021 and CT54004) as a function of pH was investigated in order to better characterize the compounds and to locate the optimum pH for a stable formulation that might be used in a first‐in‐person (FIP) clinical study. The compounds prepared in buffer solutions over a pH range of 1–10 were stored at 60°C, and assayed for pH and purity at different time points. The pH‐rate profiles indicated that both compound was quite stable in the middle pH range, and least stable at pH < 3 and > 8. The optimum pH for stability of the compounds was around 6, which is consistent with the theoretical predictions by a mathematical model. The mechanism of the reaction is not a specific‐acid/base‐catalyzed reaction. Based on the experience of this study, an ideal experimental design is proposed, which will be useful for future study on similar drug candidate.


is paper presents what may be regarded as a novel approach to social theory. Whilst laying stress on the economic structure, the theory views it as embedded within a broader societal context. According to the theory, society is viewed as a set of four structures. A set of categories for analysis of those structures is depicted and the most detailed presentation is devoted to the economy. In this case, it includes such innovative notions as quasi-work, lumpenwork and the whole theory of ownership of labour power. is implies an analysis of the di" erences between the legal and socio-economic approach to property.


This paper introduces a new framework for habitat methodology to identify the environmental flow requirements for rivers using bioecological, hydrological and hydraulic criteria. Using the new method, the environmental flow of the Gorganrud River in Iran is calculated for all months of the year using the critical months' ratio as a guide. Although the critical environmental flow is calculated as twice that calculated by the Tennant method, the annual average outflow to the sea is only 1% more. Moreover, there are the same benefits for the two methods, including maintaining flows to the estuary throughout the year and flood risk management around 30% of the time. However, the probability of environmental flow demand in critical months is increased from 67% in the Tennant method to 100% using the new method. There are also positive significant effects on water basin management, such as an emphasis on the maintenance of environmental aspects, specifically in the spring and summer months, in comparison with t...


Water stress is a frequent and critical limit to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production in North China. It has been shown that photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) is closely related to crop production. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of deficit irrigation and winter wheat varieties on the PAR capture ration, PAR utilization and grain yield. Field experiments involved Jimai 20 (J; high yield variety) and Lainong 0153 (L; dryland variety) with non-irrigation and irrigated at jointing stage. The results showed that whether irrigated at jointing stage or not, there was no significant difference between J and L with respect to the amount of PAR intercepted by the winter wheat canopies. However, significant differences were observed between the varieties with respect to the amount of PAR intercepted by plants that were 60–80 cm above the ground surface. This result was mainly caused by the changes in the vertical distributions of leaf area index (LAI). As a result, the effects of the varieties and deficit irrigation on the radiation use efficiency (RUE) and grain yield of winter wheat were due to the vertical distribution of PAR in the winter wheat canopies. During the late growing season of winter wheat, irrespective of the irrigation regime, the RUE and grain yield of J were significantly (LSD, P < 0.05) higher than those of L. These results suggest that a combination of deficit irrigation and a suitable winter wheat variety should be applied in North China.


Subject. This article examines the relationship between long and short positions of investors and their sentiment.
Objectives. The article aims to determine the relationship between the emotional component and the sector of investment.
Methods. For the study, we used the methods of induction and deduction, statistical methods for processing the results of observations, methods of physiognomy in determining the emotions of investment decision makers.
Results. The article reveals the content of methods for taking into account the emotions of investors when choosing an investment sector and describes the results of research on practical situations in the field of investment decision-making based on fundamental and technical analyses.
Conclusions and Relevance. When taking into account new indicators, the analyst has the means to bring the forecast result closer to real conditions, when in addition to traditional indicators, emerging combinations of traditional and psychological indicators in the markets give a new interpretation of the events taking place there. This improves the quality of analytical work and its results. The use of new indicators complements and expands the classic analytical tools, improves the quality of forecasts in the markets. The results of the research described in the article can be applied in the work of a nowadays market analyst.


Studied are the effects on the velocity field of a fine circular wire ring placed axisymmerically downstream of an air jet of Reynolds number 1.4×104. When placed close to the jet exit (x/Dj<3 where Dj is the jet diameter) the ring caused a pronounced reduction in the rms longitudinal velocity fluctuations, the maximum reduction (of approximately 30% based on the peak value) occurring when the ring is very close to the jet (x/Dj=0.07) and in the shear layer although rings of smaller diameter located in the core also produced the same qualitative effect. The ring also caused a shift in the virtual origin of the mean flow and an increase of the momentum thickness of the shear layer. There resulted a reduction of the magnitude of the fundamental roll‐up frequency, and it saturated later than for the undisturbed flow. The spatial growth rate of the disturbances in the shear layer were also drastically reduced. Spectra showed that vortex pairing was inhibited by the ring and there was an earlier transition to ...


Abstract This study explored how a subsection of Canadians perceive older adults' vaccines through a qualitative analysis of comments posted in response to national online news articles. We used reflexive thematic analysis to analyse 147 comments from 31 news article comments sections published between 2015 and 2020 from five different national online news sources (CBC, National Post, Global News, Globe & Mail, and Huffington Post Canada) that focused on three older adults' diseases and vaccines: influenza, pneumococcal pneumonia, and herpes-zoster. Three themes encompassed the similarities and differences in how these three diseases were discussed: (1) the importance of personal experiences on stated stance in vaccine uptake or refusal, (2) questioning vaccine research and recommendations, and (3) criticisms of the government's unequal vaccine opportunities across different Canadian provinces. Our findings identified that perceptions regarding older adult vaccination were dependent on the vaccine type, and, therefore, we make suggestions for future researchers to build on our findings, particularly the need not to treat the research subject of "older adults' vaccines" as one entity. Gaining a better understanding of how older adults' vaccines are perceived in Canada will enable public health professionals to develop effective communication strategies that should ultimately improve vaccination rates for older adults.


Objective To investigate the changes of insulin and insulin receptor in asthma patients.Methods Forty asthma patients were allocated into two groups:20 newly diagnosed treatment-naive mild-moderate asthma patients,20 mild-moderate persistent asthma patients treated with inhaled corticosteroid. 20 healthy volunteers were enrolled as normal control.Blood samples were obtained from 40 asthma patients and 20 healthy volunteers.Total and differential leukocyte counts,blood glucose concentration and serum insulin concentration were measured.The level of lymphocyte insulin receptor in peripheral blood were assayed by flow cytomertry.Pulmonary function were performed at the same time.Results The numbers of eosinophil in the two asthma groups were significantly higher than those in the normal control group [(4.04±2.57)% and (4.24±2.34)% vs (0.90±1.38)%,P0.05),the levels of insulin and insulin receptor in the treatment-naive group were significantly higher than those in the control group [insulin:(13.00±5.20)mIU/L vs (10.08± 3.79)mIU/L ,P0.05;insulin receptor:(2.59±3.11)% vs (0.99±0.62)%,P0.05).Conclusion Insulin secretion and insulin receptor expression in asthma patients are increased in the presence of inflammation.


We describe a patient with recurrent acantholytic squamous cell carcinoma following radiation therapy. Mohs micrographic sections revealed extensive squamous sialometaplasia showing striking histologic similarity to the patient's squamous cell carcinoma. Criteria necessary to differentiate squamous sialometaplasia from neoplasm are presented. This differentiation is important to ensure adequate tumor resection without unnecessary sacrifice of tumor-free tissue.


In this study, we sought to evaluate and compare the effects of constant and dynamic lighting on red and green leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. Red Cos and Lobjoits Green cos) cultivated in a controlled environment. Plants were illuminated with the combination of red 662 and 638 nm, blue 452 nm, and far-red 737 nm at 16 h photoperiod and constant daily light integral (DLI) of each component. Five constant or dynamic lighting treatments were performed: (BR) constant flux of both B452 and R662; (B*R) constant flux of R662, but the DLI of B452 condensed in 8 h in the middle of photoperiod doubling the PPFD of blue light; (BR*) constant flux of B452, but the DLI of R662 light condensed in the middle of photoperiod; (BdynR) constant flux of R662, but the flux of B452 varies in the sinusoidal profile during 16 h photoperiod, imitating diurnal increase and decrease in lighting intensity; and (BRdyn) constant flux of B452, but the flux of R662 varies in sinusoidal profile. The lettuce's response to dynamic lighting strategies was cultivar specific. Dynamic lighting strategies, mimicking natural lighting fluctuations, did not have a remarkable effect on photosynthesis and antioxidative parameters, but the dynamic flux of blue light component had a pronounced effect on higher macro and microelement contents in lettuce leaves.


The electron exchange reaction between anthracene and its radical anion formed by the sodium reduction of the parent molecule in 1,2-dimethoxyethane, tetrahydrofuran, and a tetrahydrofuran-1,4-dioxane mixture was studied by ESR spectroscopy in the preseuce of tetraalkylammonium cations of various kinds and amounts. Analytical equations were presented to evaluate the rate constants of two competitive electron exchange reactions between anthracene and its anion, which was ion-paired in part with a tetraalkylammonium cation and in part with a sodium cation. The experimental results obeyed the theoretical equations and, consequently, yielded the electron exchange rate constants for the ion pairs of the former type, which were unaffected by the coexistence of the ion pairs of the latter type. They were of the order of 108 M−1s−1 (1 M=1 mol dm−3), a value which was one order of magnitude smaller than the rate constant for the solvent-separated ion pair of anthracene anion with sodium cation. They were smaller f...


Pleomorphic adenoma is the most frequent salivary gland tumor. The most common site of this tumor in the major salivary glands is the parotid gland, while that in the minor salivary glands is the palate. We report a giant pleomorphic adenoma that extended into the parapharyngeal space. The patient was a 55-year-old woman who had been referred to our hospital because of swelling of the left palate region. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)revealed a bulky mass extending from the skullbase to the left parapharyngeal space and the submandibular region. Although no malignancy was detected after cytodiagnosis and biopsy had been performed twice, a definitive diagnosis was difficult. Surgery was planned for a diagnosis of a benign tumor arising from the minor salivary glands of the pharynx since preoperative computed tomography and MRI showed interposition of a fat pad between the lesion and the parotid gland. The tumor was removed by an inverted L ramus osteotomy as described by Flood et al. rather than by a midline mandibulotomy to ensure safety because the tumor was large as well as for esthetic reasons. The excised tumor measured 80 × 70 × 50 mm. A postoperative histological examination revealed a pleomorphic adenoma. No recurrence was observed during 1 year of follow-up.


Chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol cross-linked with genipin at different concentrations were utilized to synthesize
films by solvent casting for bone tissue engineering applications. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
(FTIR), swelling degree, degradation rate, contact angle, tensile strength was investigated. The results revealed
a decrease in swelling degree, degradation rate, contact angle with an increased genipin concentration, while
tensile strength increased. It can be indicated that cross-linked CS/ PVA with genipin could be applied in
application for tissue engineering.


Based on the debris flow data collected from 129 villages and towns in the Anning River valley of Liangshan Prefecture,two multi-classification support vector machine models were built to evaluate debris flow hazards of the villages and towns.86 samples from the villages and 65 samples from the towns were randomly selected as training samples and the remainders,as testing samples.Results show that the prediction accuracy of SVM model is improved with the increase of training samples and prediction accuracy of the two SVM models are higher than that of BP neural network models.Therefore,support vector machine method is a new machine learning method with higher precision and better generalization performance than neural network method.It has very broad application prospects and promotion and application values in the practice of debris flow hazard assessment.


The results of an attempt to use reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) refinement to fit a model structure to the diffuse X-ray and neutron scattering of the complex defect structure of calcium-stabilized cubic zirconia (Ca-CSZ), composition Zr0.85Ca0.15O1.85, are reported. This is the first attempt to use the RMC method to analyse single-crystals diffuse scattering of a disordered system containing both chemical disorder and associated displacement disorder. The possibilities and problems of the RMC method for this kind of disordered system are discussed and the method is compared with techniques used in previous studies of the diffuse scattering of CSZs. The study has revealed that the application of RMC to single-crystal data needs to take into account two seemingly incompatible requirements. When the model crystal is large, relatively low-noise calculated diffraction patterns can be obtained but the model contains so many degrees of freedom that the fit obtained does not properly reflect the short-range properties inherent in the data. On the other hand, when the model crystal is small the calculated diffraction patterns are very noisy and the efficacy of the fit is again compromised. Despite these limitations the results obtained in the present study do appear to present a qualitative picture of the local ordering consistent with previous studies. The present RMC refinements of Ca-CSZ support the previously postulated oxygen-vacancy ordering scheme, i.e. vacancy pairs separated by ½ 〈111〉 along the body diagonal of oxygen cubes which contain a cation. The cations are disturbed from their average positions in such a way that if either of the two bridging oxygen sites between a pair of cations separated by ½ 〈111〉 is vacant, then the cations are found to have moved further apart than the average distance, whereas when both bridging oxygen sites are occupied a closer then average distance is observed. A new result from this RMC study is that a negative occupancy correlation exists between Ca neighbours separated by ½ 〈111〉 and 〈100〉, i.e. there is a tendency to avoid Ca–Ca nearest or next-nearest neighbours.


This book is based on cultural, or grid-group, theory with which Michael Thompson has long been associated (Wildavsky, Thompson et al. 1990). It is in some ways a companion volume to the also recen...


The extensive application of multimedia technology has a profound impact on mathematics classroom teaching in high school.Surveys of mathematics teachers' awareness of multimedia teaching,the status of multi-media teaching in mathematics classroom,and the use of mathematics courseware are conducted.The data collected are analyzed;the status and problems of the multimedia-assisted mathematics classroom are researched and relevant proposals are put forward.


At present, universities and colleges have already put it in an important position how to permeate humane spirit during specialized course teaching. Each university has a specific goal and content of cultural qualityoriented education clear and pointed out that we should strengthen the work of qualityoriented education of culture in present specialized course teaching to improve all students' cultural aesthetic and scientific accomplishment and humane spirit.


Introduction: Determination of sex from skeletal remains, especially from isolated bones, has been a problem. The most often chosen bones for the determination of sex are the pelvis and the skull although the round heads of the ball joints also provide very reliable means of determining sex. This study documents effort to determine sex by using X-ray films of adult pelvis (500 males and 308 females) collected from Eku Baptist Hospital, Eku - Ethiope East local Government Area in Delta State of Nigeria. The Objectives is to establish differences between (genders) in Ethiope East local Government area, Delta State. That is, by measurement of the transverse and vertical diameter of the head of femur. Material and Method: X-ray films of femurs of adult individuals were collected. Their ages ranged between 18 and 90 years and their gender were known. The vertical and transverse diameter of the head of the femur was measured using a sliding caliper. Results: The mean diameter of the head of the male femur was significantly greater than that of the female (P<0.001). The identification points that were derived from the vertical and transverse diameter of the head of the femur were higher in males than in females. The male demarking points were also higher than the corresponding female value. Similarly, the demarking point identifies the sex of a higher percentage of a male femur. Conclusion: The demarking point, in comparison to the identification point, identified the sex of a smaller percentage of femurs and of such; it can be used in sex and regional identification.


China's commercial banks are confronted with fierce competition from advanced big commercial banks abroad, which have much better performance in non-performing loans (NPLs) than China's commercial banks. In this case, efficiency rating and ranking of China's commercial banks are of great importance. We treat the rate of non-performing loans (NPLs) as an undesirable output from the operating process of commercial bank and utilize cross efficiency of DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) to evaluate and rank China's commercial banks between 2006 and 2008 horizontally and vertically. In the end we will propose our conclusion.


. In this paper, we consider the existence and multiplicity of sign-changing solutions to some Kirchhoff-type equation involving a nonlinear term with exponential growth. In a first result, we prove the existence of at least three solutions: one solution is positive, one is negative and the third one is sign-changing. The existence of infinitely many sign-changing solutions is proved as our second result in this work. Our method is mainly based on invariant sets of descending flow in the framework of classical critical point theory.


Most recent hypertext systems support hierarchy only as a restricted subset of directed graph structure. Consequently they do not provide many of the capabilities for graphical information hiding and structure manipulation that a tree makes possible. This paper describes display techniques developed for IGD, a hypertext system that supports the creation of large graphical documents whose arbitrary directed graph structure is embedded in a strict hierarchy. IGD offers the full generality of arbitrary keyworded links, while simultaneously allowing hierarchies to be easily manipulated and displayed with much of their structural detail selectively abstracted.


Abstract A series of polyepoxide resins doped by lead oxide with low concentrations were fabricated in order to study the impacts of low PbO concentrations on the fabricated composites' physical- and radiation-shielding properties. The epoxide resin was reinforced with the PbO compound with concentrations 0, 5, and 10 wt%. The density measurements affirmed that by elevating the PbO concentration between 0 and 10 wt%, the composites' density increased from 1.103 to 1.185 g·cm−3. This low-density increase was echoed in the fabricated composites' radiation-shielding properties, where the Monte Carlo simulation code affirmed a linear attenuation coefficient increase by factors of 230%, 218%, 24%, and 10%, respectively, at 59, 121, 356, and 662 keV. The half-value layer, mean free path, and transmission factor indicated a linear attenuation coefficient enhancement.


The Chinese Left-wing Drama's movement grew like a weed under the guidance of the Chinese Left-wing Dramatist's League.Its leader institution is made up of party organization and executive committee.Party and league organization is the core constituted by secretaries,propagandas and organizations.The executive committee is the leadership organization in the administration,which is produced by league mernbers' electing and constituted by office of general services,propagandas and organizations.For the reason of developing the Left-wing drama performance,the Chinese Left-wing Dramatist's League found several labors' committee of performance and subcommittee,such as subcommittee of film review,music and plays and so on.The Performance Scene Rental Office is also an open organization.


This article discusses the similarities in the pattern of Sufis thought in two classical Malay kingdoms, namely Aceh and Banjar. The relationship that took place between them had made it possible for exchange of mystical ideas. This article elaborates the history of Sufism in the two kingdoms to indicate the relationship that existed, though perhaps in different time frame. In the end, this article finds that there is a similar pattern in the development of the accepted Sufis doctrine in both kingdoms, that is the rejection of the doctrine of waḥdah al-wujūd for the doctrine of waḥdah al-shuhūd.


We show that the reaction-diffusion system u t = Δ φ ( u ) + f ( v ) , v t = Δ ψ ( v ) + g ( u ) , with homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions, has a positive global solution on Ω × [ 0 , ∞ ) if and only if ∫ ∞ d s / f ( F − 1 ( G ( s ) ) ) = ∞ (or, equivalently, ∫ ∞ d s / g ( G − 1 ( F ( s ) ) ) = ∞ ), where F ( s ) = ∫ 0 s f ( r ) d r and G ( s ) = ∫ 0 s g ( r ) d r . The domain Ω ⊆ ℝ N ( N ≥ 1 ) is bounded with smooth boundary. The functions φ , ψ , f , and g are nondecreasing, nonnegative C ( [ 0 , ∞ ) ) functions satisfying φ ( s ) ψ ( s ) f ( s ) g ( s ) > 0 for s > 0 and φ ( 0 ) = ψ ( 0 ) = 0 . Applied to the special case f ( s ) = s p and g ( s ) = s q , p > 0 , q > 0 , our result proves that the system has a global solution if and only if p q ≤ 1 .


The way to a Profession - Voices of students in social studies about their education

The purpose of this study was to examine how students of social wcience view their education in relation to their future profession. The study was based on qualitative individual interviews with students at School of social work at Lund University in Sweden. The aim was to contribute to an understanding of the students' thoughts, feelings and ideas concerning the way knowledge is transmitted to them in regards to the profession of being a social worker as well as of already active social workers, and how this forms the basis of the students´attitude toward social work today. Some specific themes were brought up and discussed in the interviews; empowerment, power, and status in social work. The results indicated that the students chose to become social sorkers in order to help people and that some felt that the picture of the profession that was transmitted during the education was of a poorly paid and low status profession. Despite this the students expressed a pride of the profession they have chosen as their vocation. Starting off from a constructivist perspectivethe study concludes with a discussion concerning how knowledge is transmitted and maintained in a specific educational setting.


High‐quality, alumina thin films are extensively used as dielectrics, passivation layers, and barrier layers in electronics and many other applications. However, to achieve optimum stoichiometry and thus performance, the layers are often grown at elevated temperatures (>200 °C) using techniques such as atomic layer deposition (ALD). This is problematic for substrates or structures with low thermal budgets. Herein, alumina thin films are grown on 200 mm silicon substrates employing a versatile deposition method known as MVD at low deposition temperatures (35–150 °C). The chemical composition of the resulting films is investigated postdeposition using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry, with fully stoichiometric Al2O3 achieved at deposition temperatures as low as 100 °C. Dielectric measurements confirm outstanding dielectric properties compared to typical thermal ALD layers deposited at much higher temperatures. This low‐temperature deposition performance by considering the MVD reactor design and the "pump‐type" regime of precursor delivery versus the "flow‐type" regime of ALD is rationalized and understood. The results clearly demonstrate that alumina thin films grown with MVD are highly versatile for electronic applications and are of particular relevance and interest for the high‐volume processing of dielectric, passivation, and barrier layers at low temperatures.


The Poetry of Xianglian (a case for cosmetics) centers on love.Later generations are resentful to its author,HAN Wo and the love poems.The reason is the influence of "education of poems" in the Confucianism.The poetry contains various styles of love poems and achieves most,compared to the same sort of poems at the end of the Tang Dynasty.It has more influence and can be referred to as the example of love poems at the period in China.


In this paper the authors investigate on the perceptions of the drivers on the risk of road accident. An objective of the research is to understand how driving attitudes and behavior influence road accident risk according to the opinions of the drivers. The authors analyze two different kinds of perceptions: perceptions of users interviewed through a face-to-face survey, and perceptions of users reached by web. So, another important objective of the research is to verify the differences between the two samples, and the reliability of the responses. The authors proposed to the users an experiment based on the Stated Preferences according to which respondents had to express a ranking of hypothetical driving scenarios characterized by different levels of attributes describing driving attitudes. Logit models are used to estimate the influence of each attribute on accident risk. The results obtained from the two samples conduct to very different interpretations, but the authors can definitively say that the respect/violation of the driving rules and the correct/incorrect driver behavior certainly affect the level of accident riskiness perceptions. From the results, the authors could retain online survey as reliable, and a valid alternative to traditional methods such as face-to-face survey, especially if one considers the advantages linked to the lower cost and the reduced risks of social desirability bias associated with self-administration.


this paper analyzes the performance measures of amplify-and-forward (AF) relaying over non-identical Nakagamim fading channel. The exact probability density functions (PDFs) of total signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for variable gain relaying and fixed gain relaying are deduced, and the theoretical formulas of moment generating function (MGF) and moments for fixed gain relaying are presented. Since the exact PDF of total SNR for variable gain relaying is not tractable, its approximation is used to derive the formulas of MGF and moments. Using these statistic characteristics, the average symbol error rate (ASER) and amount of fading (AoF) for fixed gain relaying are derived, and the tight approximate ASER for variable gain relaying are given. These proposed mathematics results are verified by simulation.


The electric rocket engine program conducted by the Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) promises to provide the space scientist with a propulsion system that is highly efficient and capable of delivering large payloads to distant planets. Until fairly recently this could have been considered a rather bold statement, but in light of recent developments in the field, the state-of-the-art of electric thrustor technology has increased to the point where these engines must be considered seriously for space applications competitive with chemical propulsion systems. This should not imply that all problems have been resolved or that all electric propulsion concepts have reached this level of competence. In addition to problems concerned directly with the thrustor, there are others associated with the development of a lightweight, efficient, and reliable electrical power supply, and the power conditioning and control components for the total system. However, mission analysis has shown that the advanced electric propulsion systems currently under development and on the drawing boards, and in particular the thrustor itself, appear attractive for certain space applications. This paper indicates relative mission capabilities of chemical and electrical rockets. Certain assumptions have been made to simplify the discussion, and no specific mission characteristics have been detailed. However, the examples presented should indicate that certain mission performance trade-offs are possible. The cesium contact ion engine as a space thrustor is discussed at length.


Structural changes in sensory axons are associated with many peripheral nerve disorders. Degenerative loss or excessive sprouting of axons are hallmarks of sensory neuropathies or hyperinnervating pain syndromes respectively. While much is known about mechanisms of developmental axon growth or regenerative outgrowth following nerve injury, there is little information about mechanisms that can induce plasticity in intact adult axons. Lack of model systems, where extensive plasticity can be predictably induced under physiological conditions, has been a fundamental impediment in studying sensory neuroplasticity mechanisms in adult. The female reproductive tract presents a highly tractable model where sensory axons cyclically undergo extensive plasticity under the influence of estrogen. In rat, high estrogen levels induce reduction in vaginal sensory nerve density, and low estrogen conditions promote sprouting leading to hyperinnervation. We used this model to explore potential factors that can initiate spontaneous plasticity in intact sensory axons. We found that estrogen downregulates expression of Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4 (BMP4) in the vaginal submucosal smooth muscle cells which are associated with most innervation in the vagina. Thus under low estrogen conditions BMP4 expression increased in the smooth muscle, and the resulting trophic stimulus induced sprouting in associated nociceptive sensory axons. Activated Smad1 in nuclei of retrogradely labeled dorsal root ganglion neurons innervating the vagina confirmed BMP4 signaling under low estrogen conditions. When BMP4 was overexpressed in the vaginal submucosal smooth muscle by lentiviral transduction, elevated nerve density prevailed even under high blood estrogen levels. To identify the signaling mechanism by which BMP4 regulates sensory plasticity downstream from phospho-Smad1, we used the 50B11 sensory neuronal cell line. Receptor iv expression and outgrowth responses of the 50B11 cells to neurotrophins and growth factors resembled closely that of primary sensory neurons in culture, providing a reliable assay system. BMP4 treatment induced upregulation of Inhibitor of DNA binding 2 (Id2), a known downstream target of Smad1, in 50B11 cells; and Id2 overexpression induced increased neurite outgrowth. However, Id2 knockdown failed to abrogate BMP4-mediated increase of outgrowth in primary neurons, suggesting alternative mechanisms. We identified that BMP4 downregulates methyl CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2), a methylated-DNA binding protein and an epigenetic modifier and global transcriptional repressor, which is highly expressed in neurons. MeCP2 downregulation can prompt a global transcriptional upregulation inducing multiple genes, a situation characteristic of axonal growth initiation. Lentiviral knockdown of MeCP2 resulted in significant elevation of outgrowth in primary sensory neurons that matched growth induced by BMP4. …


The amino acid composition and sequence of the β-subunit of heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) purified from a porcine (LTp) strain, WT-1, of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli was analysed, and the result was compared with that reported by Dallas and Falkow [Nature 288 (1980) 499-501] who deduced the amino acid sequence of LTp from data on the DNA sequence of a porcine strain, EWD299. The purified β-subunit of the LTp of WT-1 was carboxymethylated, succinylated, digested with chymotrypsin and subjected to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The amino acid composition of the peptide peaks from the column were analysed and compared with the data reported by Dallas and Falkow. Only one fraction differed in amino acid composition from that reported, containing lysine instead of methionine. This fraction was found to consist of two peptides with the sequences Lys-Ser-Gly-Glu-Thr-Phe and Arg-Ile-Thr-Tyr. The former peptide is reported to have the sequence Met-Ser-Gly-Glu-Thr-Phe. Thus, the amino acid at position 43 from the N terminus of the β-subunit of LTp is lysine, not methionine as reported. This is the first report which studied the amino acid sequence of LTp analysed by protein toxin itself, not by DNA sequence analysis.