Damping of waves of agitation in starling flocks

Abstract: When a predator attacks a flock of starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), involving thousands of individuals, a typical collective escape response is the so-called agitation wave, consisting of one or more dark bands (pulses) propagating through the flock and moving away from the predator (usually a Peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus). The mechanism underlying this collective behavior remains debated. A theoretical study has suggested that the individual motion underlying a pulse could be a skitter (in the form of a zigzag), that is copied by nearby neighbors, and causes us to temporarily observe a larger surface of the wing because the bird is banking during turning while zigzagging. It is not known, however, whether pulses during a wave event weaken over time. This is of interest, because whereas during the usual turning by an undisturbed flock the motion is copied completely without weakening, we may expect that pulses dampen during a wave event because individuals that are further away from a predator react less because of reduced fear. In the present paper, we show in empirical data that pulses during a wave event weaken over time. Our computational model, StarDisplay, reveals that this is most likely a consequence of a reduction of the maximum banking angle during the zigzag escape maneuver rather than by a reduced tendency to copy this maneuver with time. The response seems adaptive because of lowered danger at a larger distance to the location of attack. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Huge flocks of starlings display amazing patterns of collective escape when attacked by an avian predator, such as a Peregrine falcon. One of them is the “agitation wave” in which dark bands move away from the predator. Dark bands arise probably from the temporarily larger wing area, which is observed when birds perform a skitter escape motion (zigzag) while temporarily banking sideward. Whereas during regular flock turns birds copy each other’s motion completely, it is unknown whether this happens during agitation waves, because individuals further away from the attack may be less frightened. Studying this both empirically at the group level only and in a computational model at both the level of the individual and the group, we show that pulses of waves fade out with time and that this is probably due to a reduced maximum banking angle during the zigzag maneuver rather than a lower tendency of copying. This seems an adaptive response.


Leptin polymorphism rs3828942: risk for anxiety disorders?

Abstract: Leptin is an anorexigenic hormone well recognized by its role in mediating energy homeostasis. Recently, leptin has been associated with psychiatric disorders and interestingly, leptin treatment has shown antidepressant and anxiolytic effects. We examined the association of leptin levels and leptin (LEP) gene rs3828942 polymorphism with anxiety disorders considering sex differences. A cross-sectional population-based study, including 1067 young adults, of whom 291 presented anxiety disorders diagnosed by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI 5.0). The rs3828942 polymorphism was genotyped by real-time PCR and ELISA measured leptin levels. Leptin levels were not associated with anxiety disorders after adjusting for sex and body mass index (BMI) [s = − 0.009 (− 0.090–0.072); p = 0.832]. The distribution of rs3828942 genotypes was not associated with anxiety disorders. However, in a sex-stratified sample, the A-allele of rs3828942 polymorphism was associated with risk for GAD in women even when adjusting for confounding variables [OR = 1.87 (1.17–2.98); p = 0.008]. In a subsample of 202 individuals with GAD and control matched by sex and BMI, results suggest an interaction between genotypes and GAD diagnosis based on leptin levels only in the male group [F (1, 54) = 6.464; p = 0.0139]. Leptin is suggested to be related with the neurobiology of anxiety disorders in a sex-dependent manner since women carrying the A-allele of LEP rs3828942 present a higher risk for GAD, while leptin levels seem to be lower in men with GAD carrying A-allele. Studies on the relationship between leptin polymorphisms and levels are scarce and, therefore, further research is necessary.

European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience


Synthesis and Biological Activity of N-Aryl(alkyl)-2-[2-(9H-fluoren-9-ylidene)hydrazinylidene]-5,5-dimethyl-4-oxohexanamides

Abstract: Ring opening of 5-tert-butyl-3-[(9H-fluoren-9-ylidene)hydrazinylidene]furan-2(3H)-one by the action of primary amines afforded a series of new 2-[(9H-fluoren-9-ylidene)hydrazinylidene]-5,5-dimethyl-4-oxohexan-amides. The synthesized compounds were tested for antinociceptive and antimicrobial activities.


Effect of Adsorption on the Energy Characteristics of a Rough Solid

Abstract: The work analyzes the energy characteristics of rough interfaces with and without taking into account adsorption. For simplicity, the theory of the lattice gas model is exemplified by taking into account a lateral interaction between the nearest components of the system. The behavior of the surface free and internal energies of the interface between the rough solid and the adsorbed gas is considered. The effect of the non-equilibrium states of interfaces on the energy characteristics of the surface are analyzed depending on the formation temperature of a flat rough surface. The difference between the excess surface energy at the solid–mobile phase interface and the non-equilibrium analogue of the surface tension of the same system, which transforms into the surface tension in the complete equilibrium state, is discussed. The effect of adsorption on the energy characteristics of the flat rough surface and the position of the equimolar surface is explored, depending on the gas pressure during physical adsorption and chemisorption. The means of calculating the fluctuation estimates of the formation probability of a rough solid boundary from the metastable state with a flat boundary is formulated. The size dependences of the formation probability of a circular region with a rough solid boundary on its curvature radius are obtained.


Are critical care authors publication dealers?


Life history stage and extrinsic factors affect behavioural time allocation in plains zebras (Equus quagga) in the Serengeti ecosystem

Abstract: Time is a limited resource and how well it is allocated to competing behaviours can profoundly affect Darwinian fitness. Life history theory predicts that the amount of time allocated to vital behaviours will change with life history stage, resulting in trade-offs between competing behaviours. Moreover, a range of environmental factors can also affect activity budgets. We studied diurnal time allocation by migratory plains zebras (Equus quagga) in the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania, and investigated the effect of life history stage, social environment, habitat structure, and day time on time allocation to five behavioural categories (grazing, resting, vigilance, movement, other). We expected (1) increased vulnerability to predation and impeded predator detection to increase vigilance and decrease resting and grazing; (2) energetically costly life stages to increase grazing and decrease resting; and (3) increasing age in young to result in increased vigilance and grazing and decreased resting. Our findings revealed that in young zebras, resting decreased and grazing increased from the youngest to the oldest age class. Band stallions spent more time grazing and less time resting and moving than bachelors. Lactating mares devoted more time to grazing but less to resting and vigilance than other mares. Mares spent most time vigilant in the last third and stallions in the first third of the day. Adult zebras moved more, and mares were more vigilant in the woodland boundary than on short grass plains. Taken together, our study identifies intrinsic and extrinsic factors shaping time allocation decisions and trade-offs between competing behaviours in plains zebra. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: How well animals allocate their limited time to competing behaviours will affect their survival and reproduction. For example, energetically costly life history stages often require an increase in foraging whereas when predators threaten survival, more time should be allocated to vigilance. Increased investment of time in one behaviour requires decreased investment in another or other behaviours; thus, trade-offs in time are expected. Life history theory predicts substantial changes in the time allocated to vital behaviours between life stages. We investigated the effect of life history stage and environmental factors on the behavioural time budgets of migratory plains zebras in the Serengeti ecosystem. Our results showed that life history stage, juvenile age and environmental factors determine how time is invested in vital behaviours, and the behavioural trade-offs this entails.


Can the Routine Use of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures Improve the Delivery of Person-Centered Diabetes Care? A Review of Recent Developments and a Case Study

Abstract: Purpose of Review ::: In recent years, the recommendation for and use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in routine diabetes care has significantly increased. We review recent evidence and highlight key opportunities and challenges related to the active clinical use of PROMs to support person-centered diabetes care and focus areas for future research in the area.


The predominance of nucleotidyl activation in bacterial phosphonate biosynthesis

Abstract: Phosphonates are rare and unusually bioactive natural products. However, most bacterial phosphonate biosynthetic capacity is dedicated to tailoring cell surfaces with molecules like 2-aminoethylphosphonate (AEP). Although phosphoenolpyruvate mutase (Ppm)-catalyzed installation of C-P bonds is known, subsequent phosphonyl tailoring (Pnt) pathway steps remain enigmatic. Here we identify nucleotidyltransferases in over two-thirds of phosphonate biosynthetic gene clusters, including direct fusions to ~60% of Ppm enzymes. We characterize two putative phosphonyl tailoring cytidylyltransferases (PntCs) that prefer AEP over phosphocholine (P-Cho) – a similar substrate used by the related enzyme LicC, which is a virulence factor in Streptococcus pneumoniae. PntC structural analyses reveal steric discrimination against phosphocholine. These findings highlight nucleotidyl activation as a predominant chemical logic in phosphonate biosynthesis and set the stage for probing diverse phosphonyl tailoring pathways.


A Fair Approach for Multi-Objective Water Resources Allocation

Abstract: Due to the effect of climate change, rapid population growth and widespread water pollution, fresh water becomes an increasingly scarce natural resource. Optimal allocation of water resources is one of the most effective resolutions to deal with rising water demand and insufficient freshwater resources. This study proposes a fair approach for water resources allocation by employing the Sperner’s lemma to solve the conflicts of different objectives and those of competing regions. A multi-objective optimal allocation model is firstly formulated to generate the Pareto frontier surface, which maximizes the economic interest while minimizing the amount of organic pollutants. Subsequently, the approach searches for acceptable allocation schemes over the Pareto frontier surfaces through the total water quantity and envy-free constraints. The proposed model is applied to the middle and lower reaches of Hanjiang river basin in China. Results indicate that water allocation between multi-region can achieve Nash equilibrium by using the water conflict resolution method to select fair water allocation schemes, in which each region obtains its preferred water quantity. The proposed approach is proved effective for water resources management in the case study and demonstrates the potential for effective application in other basins.


NONLERFNESS OF ARITHMETIC HYPERBOLIC MANIFOLD GROUPS

Abstract: We will show that, for any noncompact arithmetic hyperbolic mmanifold with m ≥ 4, and any compact arithmetic hyperbolic m-manifold with m ≥ 5 which is not a 7-dimensional arithmetic hyperbolic manifold defined by octonions, its fundamental group is not LERF. The main ingredient in the proof is a study of certain graph of groups with hyperbolic 3-manifold groups being the vertex groups. We will also show that a compact irreducible 3manifold with empty or tori boundary does not support a geometric structure if and only if its fundamental group is not LERF.


A toy model for the Drinfeld-Lafforgue shtuka construction

Abstract: The goal of this paper is to provide a categorical framework that leads to the definition of shtukas \`a la Drinfeld and of excursion operators a la V. Lafforgue. We take as the point of departure the Hecke action of Rep(G^L) on the category Shv(Bun_G) of sheaves on Bun_G, and also the end-functor of the latter category, given by the action of the geometric Frobenius. The shtuka construction will be obtained by applying (various versions of) categorical trace.


The Jordan-H\"older property and Grothendieck monoids of exact categories

Abstract: We investigate the Jordan-Holder property (JHP) in exact categories. First we introduce a new invariant of exact categories, the Grothendieck monoids, and show that (JHP) holds if and only if the Grothendieck monoid is free. Moreover, we give a criterion for this which only uses the Grothendieck group and the number of simple objects. Next we apply these results to the representation theory of artin algebras. For a large class of exact categories including functorially finite torsion(-free) classes, (JHP) holds precisely when the number of projectives is equal to that of simples. We study torsion-free classes in type A quiver in detail using the combinatorics of symmetric groups. In particular, we show that simples correspond to Bruhat inversions of a $c$-sortable element, and give the combinatorial criterion for (JHP).


Towards conceptual generalization in the embedding space

Abstract: Humans are able to conceive physical reality by jointly learning different facets thereof. To every pair of notions related to a perceived reality may correspond a mutual relation, which is a notion on its own, but one-level higher. Thus, we may have a description of perceived reality on at least two levels and the translation map between them is in general, due to their different content corpus, one-to-many. Following success of the unsupervised neural machine translation models, which are essentially one-to-one mappings trained separately on monolingual corpora, we examine further capabilities of the unsupervised deep learning methods used there and apply some of these methods to sets of notions of different level and measure. Using the graph and word embedding-like techniques, we build one-to-many map without parallel data in order to establish a unified vector representation of the outer world by combining notions of different kind into a unique conceptual framework. Due to their latent similarity, by aligning the two embedding spaces in purely unsupervised way, one obtains a geometric relation between objects of cognition on the two levels, making it possible to express a natural knowledge using one description in the context of the other.


Respiratory and muscular response to acute non-metabolic fatigue during ramp incremental cycling

Abstract: Abstract We tested the hypothesis that acute, non-metabolic fatigue, by reducing maximal power output and possibly increasing muscle recruitment at a given exercise intensity, will reduce indexes of exercise tolerance during incremental cycling. Ten subjects performed three ramp incremental tests respectively after static stretching (STRC), dropjumps (DJ) or control (CTRL). Fatigue was assessed as reduction in maximal power output (sprintPO) during isokinetic sprints. During the ramps we measured: oxygen consumption (VO2), power output (PO), and surface electromyography. sprintPO was reduced after STRC and DJ (p = 0.007) yet not after CTRL. During the ramps, the interventions augmented muscle excitation vs CTRL (p ≤ 0.001). Peak PO and VO2 were reduced after STRC (302 ± 39W p = 0.033, 3365 ± 465 ml/min p = 0.015) and DJ (300 ± 37W p = 0.023, 3413 ± 476 ml/min p = 0.094) vs CTRL (314 ± 41W, 3505 ± 486 ml/min). Interventions were associated with early occurrence of the ventilatory thresholds and increased VO2 vs CTRL (p = 0.029). The physiological response after acute non-metabolic fatigue suggests a link between exercise intolerance and the decreased ability to produce force.


Ab initioshell model with a core

Abstract: The No Core Shell Model (NCSM) has been successful in describing the properties of light nuclei, A ≤ 16, starting from the fundamental interactions among the A nucleons, but it is currently difficult to extend the NCSM to heavier nuclei, because of the extremely large model spaces involved in the calculations. We present a new procedure, based on performing two unitary transformations on the Hamiltonian, so as to obtain the core, one-body, two-body and perhaps three-body input necessary for performing Standard Shell Model (SSM) calculations for nuclei. Such SSM calculations can be easily performed for sd- and pf-shell nuclei. We demonstrate the accuracy of our approach by applying to it nuclei within the 0p-shell.


A novel outlier removal method for two-dimensional radar odometry

Abstract: Autonomous navigation of platforms in complex environments has a key role in many applications. However, environmental conditions could negatively affect the performance of electro-optical sensors. Hence, the idea of using radar odometry (RO) has been recently developed. However, it suffers from the presence of outliers in the scene as its electro-optical counterparts. This work presents a method to classify radar echoes as inliers or outliers for two-dimensional RO, based on their range rate and bearing angle. The range rate and bearing angle are, in fact, combined to give a classification value, different for each target. At each acquisition time, the median of all classification values is computed. Since classification values of stationary targets, i.e. the inliers, cluster around the median, while moving targets, i.e. the outliers, exhibit larger distance from the median, stationary targets and moving targets can be separated. This is also useful for sense-and-avoid purposes. The method has been tested in the simulated scenario to show effectiveness in detecting outliers and in a real-case scenario to demonstrate significant improvement in the reconstruction of the trajectory of the platform, keeping the final error around 10% of the travelled distance. Further improvement is envisaged by integrating the method in the target tracking strategy.


On the Bass Stable Rank of Stein Algebras

Publications of The Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences


The Nylon Scintillator Containment Vessels for the Borexino Solar Neutrino Experiment

Abstract: The neutrino event rate in the Borexino scintillator is very low (~ 0.5 events per day per ton) and concentrated in an energy region well below the 2.6 MeV threshold of natural radioactivity. The intrinsic radioactive contaminants in the photomultipliers (PMTs), in the Stainless Steel Sphere, and in other detector components, play special requirements on the system required to contain the scintillator. The liquid scintillator must be shielded from the Stainless Steel Sphere and from the PMTs by a thick barrier of buffer fluid. The fluid barrier, in addition, needs to be segmented in order to contain migration of radon and daughters emanated by the Stainless Steel Sphere and by the PMTs. These requirements were met by designing and building two spherical vessel made of thin nylon film. The inner vessel contains the scintillator, separating it from the surrounding buffer. The buffer region itself is divided into two concentric shells by the second, outer nylon vessel. In addition, the two nylon vessels must satisfy stringent requirements for radioactivity and for mechanical, optical and chemical properties. This paper describes the requirements of the the nylon vessels for the Borexino experiment and offers a brief overview of the construction methods adopted to meet those requirements.

International Journal of Modern Physics A


Cux/CDP homeodomain protein binds to an enhancer in the rat c-mos locus and represses its activity

Abstract: Abstract The c- mos gene is transcribed in male and female germ cells, in differentiating myoblasts and in 3T3 cells from cell-specific promoters. We characterized the rat testis promoter, which contains a TATA-box and one binding site for a testis-specific transcription factor TTF-D, as well as a region which can act as enhancer, which is located approx. 2 kb upstream of the c- mos AUG start codon. It binds three factors at sites I, II and III as determined in DNAse I footprint assays. We demonstrated that a member of the NF-1/CTF family of transcription factors binds site II. Here we report the cloning of the protein that binds to enhancer site III. This protein is the rat homolog of human hCut/CDP, mouse Cux/CDP and canine Clox. hCut/Cux/CDP/Clox (hereafter called Cux/CDP), a 160 kDa protein containing multiple repeats and a homeodomain, negatively regulates the mammalian c- myc , gp91-phox and N-Cam genes. Using bacterially produced murine GST-Cux fusion proteins and GST-Cux deletion mutants, we find that Cux repeat CR3 and the homeodomain are both required for efficient binding to enhancer site III. Mouse lung and testis nuclear Cux/CDP bind to site III as determined in electrophoretic gel mobility supershift assays using two different anti-hCut specific monoclonal antibodies. Transfections of CAT constructs containing the enhancer fragment linked to a minimal promoter demonstrated that Cux/CDP represses c- mos enhancer activity.


Clinical and laboratory features of pertussis in hospitalized infants with confirmed versus probable pertussis cases

Abstract: Background: The clinical presentations of pertussis infection have considerable variation. Many infections and illnesses can cause prolonged repetitive paroxysmal cough that could be confused with Bordetella pertussis infection. Aim: This retrospective study was designed to compare the clinico-laboratory findings between two groups of hospitalized infants with confirmed, and those who have clinical pertussis disease; to identify the possible additional diagnostic clues "for the diagnosis of confirmed pertussis disease". Subjects and Methods: The study population consisted of infants ≤12 months of age with clinical diagnosis of pertussis that fulfilled the World Health Organization definition for pertussis or those diagnosed by physicians. Clinico-laboratory findings were compared between two groups of patients (confirmed vs. clinical cases). Results: From a total of 118 infants admitted with a clinical diagnosis of pertussis, 16% (19/118) were confirmed by laboratory to have confirmed pertussis. Twelve of 19 (63%) and 71.99% of confirmed and clinical cases were younger than 6 months of age, respectively. For most patients, the duration of symptoms before hospitalization was <14 days. There were no significant differences between two groups of patients for paroxysmal cough and facial discoloration. However, whoop and apnea were more common among confirmed pertussis cases: P = 0.01, and P = 0.02, respectively. Leukocytosis (≥16,000/ml) (P = 0.01) and lymphocytosis (≥11,000) (P = 0.02) were reported significantly more frequently in confirmed pertussis cases. Conclusion: Given the unavailability of a highly sensitive diagnostic test, in every afebrile patient with paroxysmal cough lasting for ≥7 days associated with whoop and/or apnea, particularly if accompanied by leukocytosis/lymphocytosis, pertussis disease should be considered. In this situation, prompt administration of empiric treatment for cases, and providing control measures to prevent infection transmission to contacts are recommended.

Annals of Medical and Health Sciences Research


Genome-based in silico detection of putative manganese transport systems in Lactobacillus plantarum and their genetic analysis

Abstract: Manganese serves an important function in Lactobacillus plantarum in protection against oxidative stress and this bacterium can accumulate Mn2+ up to millimolar levels intracellularly. Although the physiological role of Mn2+ and the uptake of this metal ion have been well documented, the only uptake system described so far for this bacterium is the Mn2+- and Cd2+-specific P-type ATPase (MntA). Recently, the genome of L. plantarum WCFS1 has been sequenced allowing in silico detection of genes potentially encoding Mn2+ transport systems, using established microbial Mn2+ transporters as the query sequence. This genome analysis revealed that L. plantarum WCFS1 encodes, besides the previously described mntA gene, an ABC transport system (mtsCBA) and three genes encoding Nramp transporters (mntH1, mntH2 and mntH3). The expression of three (mtsCBA, mntH1 and mntH2) of the five transport systems was specifically derepressed or induced upon Mn2+ limitation, supporting their role in Mn2+ homeostasis in L. plantarum. However, in contrast to previous reports, mntA expression remains below detection levels in both Northern and real-time RT-PCR analysis in both Mn2+ excess and starvation conditions. Growth of WCFS1 derivatives mutated in mntA, mtsA or mntH2, or both mtsA and mntH2 appears unaffected under Mn2+ excess or Mn2+ limitation. Moreover, intracellular Mn2+ concentrations remained unaltered in these mutants compared to the wild-type. This may suggest that this species is highly adaptive in response to inactivation of these genes or, alternatively, that other transporters that have not yet been identified as Mn2+ transporters in bacteria are involved in Mn2+ homeostasis in L. plantarum.


Boehmite exsolution in corundum

Abstract: The pronounced parting observed in much corundum has traditionally been attributed to twinning. This study identifles boehmite as occurring in seams along the {IOTU Parting directions. Corundum's parting is, therefore, due to the weakness of the boehmite-corundum contact. The boehmite is believed to be a product of exsolution.


MEASUREMENT OF ECCENTRIC FIXATION BY THE BJERRUM SCREEN


Unstructured Fingerprint Database Matching Method Based on Grover’s Quantum Algorithm

Abstract: Traditional fingerprint matching algorithm has slow speed and low probability in search rate under large-scale and unstructured database background. In order to solve this problem, an advanced searching method based on Grover’s search algorithm is proposed. It improves the Oracle operator in Grover’s algorithm and transforms the database one into four registers: index register, quantum bit register which includes target fingerprint matching value, data register, 1 qubit register. Database two is transformed into including all the records of the matched value between input fingerprint and template fingerprints. Compared with traditional algorithm, this improved method can decrease the number of repetitions and raise the probability of success, thus it can effectively improve the search speed and accuracy.


Lymphocyte proliferation and cytotoxic assays using flat-bed scintillation counting

Abstract: Abstract Lymphocyte 51 Cr release and [ 3 H]thymidine uptake assays were evaluated with respect to measurement of sample radioactivity using the flat-bed scintillation counter. 51 Cr lysates were spotted onto a glass fibre filter sheet while [ 3 H]thymidine-labelled cells were filtered onto a similar sheet using a cell harvester. The 96 samples were rapidly processed for counting, without removal of individual sample areas. Either form of preparation showed good linearity of count rate with the quantity of material on the filter. Reproducibility was good; the coefficient of variation for 96 samples being within 5%. The low background and high efficiency of this counter results in increased assay sensitivity and allows considerable economies in materials to be made. A commercial version of the counter has six counting heads permitting a high rate of sample throughput.


Clinical picture of listeriosis in newborn

Annales paediatrici. International review of pediatrics


Author ' s response to reviews Title : Spectral domain optical coherence tomography in patients after successful management of postoperative endophthalmitis following cataract surgery by pars plana vitrectomy


Students' expressions of learning on the move: Game-based learning and mobile devices in formal outdoor educational settings

Abstract: The study reported here is part of a project that draws on research from mobile learning, game-based learning and the state-of-the-art view of childhood. These three strands of the wider field of learning meet in this short paper's intersection of students' expressions of mobile game-based learning in formal outdoor educational settings. It built on a mobile game-based learning approach that applied a commercial off-the-shelf game included in two teachers' planning of lessons in mathematics and social science. The study included students' expressions of learning while playing the game Pokemon Go during an excursion. The students carried spy glasses during the recording of data implying that they were co-producers in the data-collection. The expressions were collected through five focus group interviews, each involving 3-4 students. This data helped to answer the research question: What expressions of applying mobile game-based learning in formal outdoor educational settings have students aged 11-12 years? The preliminary analysis resulted in categories based on the students' expressions of various aspects related to the game Pokemon Go, the excursion lesson, using the smartphone, and how they consider learning and teaching at the school. From the preliminary results, the conclusion was that students found the lessons they participated in intriguing. The design of the lessons allowed them to have an open discussion about how learning occurs and to explore different cross-disciplinary themes that they otherwise not might have been able to explore. This conclusion is in line with results from state-of-the-art research within childhood studies. Therefore, the results from the current study suggest that mobile game-based learning in formal outdoor educational settings invited students to be co-producers of the content they were supposed to learn.


Green-Kubo representation of the viscosity of granular gases

Abstract: The Green‐Kubo representation of the shear viscosity of a dilute gas of inelastic hard disks derived from the Boltzmann equation is evaluated by means of the direct simulation Monte Carlo method. The relationship between the one‐particle dynamics of the original expression and the N‐particle dynamics needed for the simulation is analyzed. The presence of velocity correlations in the latter is identified and their possible implications are discussed.


Novel MonoallelicallyExpressed Candidate Tumor Suppressor Gene for Breast Carcinogenesis on Chromosome lip . 15


SEM studies on immature stages of the drone flies (diptera, syrphidae):Eristalis similis(Fallen, 1817) andEristalis tenax(Linnaeus, 1758)

Abstract: Adult drone flies (Syrphidae: Eristalis spp.) resemble male honeybees in appearance. Their immature stages are commonly known as rat-tailed maggots due to the presence of a very long anal segment and a telescopic breathing tube. The larvae are associated with decaying organic material in liquid or semi-liquid media, as in the case of other saprophagous eristalines. Biological and morphological data were obtained from both laboratory cultures and sampling in the field. Drone flies are important pollinators for wild flowers and crops. In fact, mass rearing protocols of Eristalis species are being developed to be used as efficient alternative pollinators. However, deeper knowledge of larval morphology and biology is required to improve artificial rearing. The production quality control of artificial rearing must manage the consistency and reliability of the production output avoiding, for example contamination with similar species. This article presents the first description of the larva and puparium of E. similis, including a comparative morphological study of preimaginal stages of the anthropophilic and ubiquitous European hoverfly species E. tenax. Scanning electron microscopy has been used for the first time to describe larvae and puparia of both species. Moreover, the preimaginal morphology of E. similis has been compared with all known descriptions of the genus Eristalis. The main diagnostic characters of the preimaginal stages of E. similis are the morphology of the anterior spiracles (shape of clear area and arrangement of facets) and pupal spiracles (length, shape, and arrangement of tubercles).


Programmable Logic Controller Forensics

Abstract: Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) automate the control and monitoring of physical industrial and infrastructure processes such as power generation, gas pipelines, and water management. Due to the convergence of networking infrastructure, PLCs can be exposed to cyberattacks over the network with potentially catastrophic consequences. This contribution introduces the basic mechanisms by which various attacks can be detected, analyzed, and, ultimately, remedied.


LysoPC and PAF Trigger Arachidonic Acid Release by Divergent Signaling Mechanisms in Monocytes

Abstract: Oxidized low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) play an important role during the development of atherosclerosis characterized by intimal inflammation and macrophage accumulation. A key component of LDL is lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC). LysoPC is a strong proinflammatory mediator, and its mechanism is uncertain, but it has been suggested to be mediated via the platelet activating factor (PAF) receptor. Here, we report that PAF triggers a pertussis toxin- (PTX-) sensitive intracellular signaling pathway leading to sequential activation of sPLA2, PLD, cPLA2, and AA release in human-derived monocytes. In contrast, lysoPC initiates two signaling pathways, one sequentially activating PLD and cPLA2, and a second parallel PTX-sensitive pathway activating cPLA2 with concomitant activation of sPLA2, all leading to AA release. In conclusion, lysoPC and PAF stimulate AA release by divergent pathways suggesting involvement of independent receptors. Elucidation of monocyte lysoPC-specific signaling mechanisms will aid in the development of novel strategies for atherosclerosis prevention, diagnosis, and therapy.


Lobar volume reduction surgery: a method of increasing the lung cancer resection rate in patients with emphysema.

Abstract: BACKGROUND ::: Guidelines on patient selection for lung cancer resection identify a predicted postoperative forced expiratory volume in 1 second (ppoFEV(1)) of <40% as a predictor of high risk. Experience with lung volume reduction surgery suggests that ppoFEV(1) may be underestimated in those with concomitant emphysema. ::: ::: ::: METHODS ::: Anatomical lobectomy was performed in 29 patients with a resectable lung cancer within a poorly perfused, hyperinflated emphysematous lobe identified by radionuclide perfusion scintigraphy and computed tomographic scanning. Perioperative changes in spirometric parameters at 3 months were compared in 14 patients (group A) of mean age 69 years (range 48-78) with ppoFEV(1) <40% (mean (SD) 31.4 (7)%) and 15 patients (group B) with ppoFEV(1) >40% (mean (SD) 47 (5)%). The correlation between predicted and actual postoperative FEV(1) was also assessed. ::: ::: ::: RESULTS ::: In group B there was a significant perioperative reduction in FEV(1) (p=0.01) but in group A FEV(1) did not change significantly after lobectomy (p=0.87); mean difference in perioperative change between groups A and B 331 ml (95% CI 150 to 510). Despite the difference in ppoFEV(1) between the groups, there was no difference in actual FEV(1) at 3 months. In-hospital mortality was 14% in group A and zero in group B, but at a median follow up of 12 (range 6-40) months there was no difference in survival between the groups. ::: ::: ::: CONCLUSIONS ::: Selection for lung cancer resection in patients with emphysema using standard calculations of ppoFEV(1) may be misleading. The effect of lobar volume reduction allows for an extension of the selection criteria.


Neutrophil chemotaxis in surgical patients: effect of cardiopulmonary bypass.


Skin manifestations of subacute bacterial endocarditis. Case report of subacute bacterial endocarditis mimicking Tappeiner's angioendotheliomatosis.

Abstract: SBE manifests many skin findings including petechiae, splinter hemorrhages of the nails, Osler's and laneway lesions, clubbing of the fingers, and findings suggestive of angiitis. Another case with similar histopathologic findings to those originally described by Tappeiner and Pfleger is described, but with positive blood cultures to corroborate the clinical identification of SBE.


Aflatoxin Q1. A newly identified major metabolite of aflatoxin B1 in monkey liver.

Journal of agricultural and food chemistry


Sequences of Pseudorandom N umb e rs w it h Arbitrarily Large Perio d s


Weighted matching algorithms and reliability in noise cancelling by spectral subtraction

Abstract: This paper addresses the problem of speech recognition with signals corrupted by additive noise at moderate SNR. A technique based on spectral subtraction and noise cancellation reliability weighting in acoustic pattern matching algorithms is studied. A model for additive noise is proposed and used to compute the variance of the hidden clean signal information and the reliability of the spectral subtraction process. The results presented show that a proper weight on the information provided by static parameters can substantially reduce the error rate.

1997 IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing


Erectile dysfunction in men under 40: etiology and treatment choice.

Abstract: We undertook a retrospective review of 100 impotent men under age 40 to determine the underlying etiologic factors in the group and to evaluate the role of surgery in their care. Although patients ranged in age from 18 to 40 (mean--32.2 years), the number of patients increased steadily with advancing years. The majority of patients (72) had vasculogenic impotence (arteriogenic--15, venogenic--46, mixed--11), followed by psychogenic (13), neurogenic (12) and other causes (4). The differential diagnosis did not correlate with age. Contributing factors were present in 76%, trauma and substance abuse being most common. Essentially equal numbers of patients were treated surgically (40) and with intracavernous injection of vasoactive agents (39). Considerably fewer had a vacuum constriction device (5), oral medication (5), psychotherapy (4), other therapy (4), and none (3). The majority of patients referred to our tertiary urologic practice for treatment of vasculogenic impotence were sent by other urologists. Although the referral source did not appear to influence the choice of treatment, it probably has accounted for the preponderance of vasculogenic impotence in this series.

International journal of impotence research


Effects of propylthiouracil on the biliary clearance of thyroxine (T4) in rats: decreased excretion of 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine glucuronide and increased excretion of 3,3',5'-triiodothyronine glucuronide and T4 sulfate.

Abstract: The liver metabolizes T4 by deiodination and conjugation to T4 glucuronide (T4G), but little information exists about the formation of T4 sulfate (T4S) in vivo. We have examined the excretion of T4G, T4S, T3 and rT3 glucuronide (T3G and rT3G) in bile, collected under pentobarbital anesthesia 0-8 h or 17-18 h after iv [125I]T4 injection to control and 6-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU)-treated rats. Radioactivity in bile, plasma, feces, and urine was analyzed by Sephadex LH-20 chromatography and HPLC. PTU induced a 2-fold increase in the biliary excretion of total radioactivity (26.6% vs. 15.0% dose between 0-8 h; 2.0% vs. 1.0% dose between 17-18 h). Biliary metabolites, 17-18 h after T4 injection, in control vs. PTU rats amounted to (percent dose): T4G, 0.44 vs. 0.75; T3G, 0.19 vs. 0.07; rT3G, 0.02 vs. 0.15; and T4S, 0.06 vs. 0.32. Similar results were obtained for control rats when bile was collected between 7-8 h after iv T4. The excretion rate of T3G was lower and that of rT3G higher when bile was continuously collected for 8 h immediately after T4 administration, probably due to prolonged experimental stress. However, regardless of the period of bile collection, PTU induced a more than 24-fold decrease in the T3G/rT3G ratio and a 5-fold increase in T4S excretion. In the animals killed 18 h after T4 injection, PTU treatment increased plasma T4 retention by 50%, reduced urinary I- excretion by 74%, and increased fecal radioactivity by 47%. No conjugates were detected in feces, and the distribution of fecal T4:T3:rT3 was 70:18:2 in control and 68:7:6 in PTU-treated rats. The results indicate that 1) the glucuronidative clearance of T4 is not affected by PTU; 2) the T3G/rT3G ratio in bile is a sensitive indicator of type I deiodinase inhibition; 3) T4 undergoes significant sulfation in rats in vivo, and 4) biliary excretion of T4S is enhanced if its type I deiodination is inhibited.


The incidence of prunus necrotic ringspot virus in commercial cut flower roses grown under cover in Victoria

Abstract: Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRV) is one of a number of virus diseases that cause rose mosaic (3). The symptoms caused are typical of rose mosaic and include line patterning (5) although symptom expression depends on the strain of PNRV, the rose cultivar infected and the environmental conditions (2). In some cultivars flowering is delayed; autumnal leaf fall is earlier; more deformed flowers are produced, and although symptomless infection is common, infected plants are generally less vigorous (4). PNRV is only transmitted by grafting in roses (3). This paper reports a survey carried out in winter 1984 to determine the incidence of PNRV in cut flower roses grown commercially under cover in Victoria. Samples of young, soft leaf tissue were collected from 10 flower farms situated in outer metropolitan Melbourne. From five farms, 100 leaf samples were collected, 20 being taken at random from rootstock beds and 20 at random from each of four different cultivars. Four growers did not maintain rootstocks and from each of these farms 20 leaf samples were collected from each of 4 cultivars. At the remaining property only two cultivars were grown and 20 leaf samples were collected at random from each. The cultivars chosen for sampling on each property represented the most common varieties grown. Not all growers grew the same varieties. Growers who did not produce their own rootstocks purchased them as required from various sources, usually larger shrub rose producers. All samples were tested for PNRV using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with antiserum, PV-AS-22 purchased from the American Type Culture Collection (1). Positive and negative controls comprising leaf samples extracted in the same way as the survey samples were included on each plate. A test was considered positive when the absorbance at 405 nm was more than twice that of the negative controls. Prunus necrotic ringspot virus was detected on all properties and in all cultivars tested (Table 1). In only one group of samples was no PNRV detected, those of the cultivar Ilona on the property of grower number seven. The incidence of infection was very variable and there was no


Customer citizenship behavior on social networking sites: The role of relationship quality, identification, and service attributes

Abstract: Purpose ::: ::: ::: ::: ::: The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the customer- and firm-focused driving factors, relationship quality (RQ), and identification on customer citizenship behaviors (CCB) on corporate social networking sites (SNS), as well as the impact of service attribute in such relationship. ::: ::: ::: ::: ::: Design/methodology/approach ::: ::: ::: ::: ::: A survey was conducted among the Facebook members of 7-Eleven (318) and Starbucks (316) in Taiwan to test the proposed framework. A structural equation modeling was used to test the validity of the research model and hypotheses. ::: ::: ::: ::: ::: Findings ::: ::: ::: ::: ::: The results reveal that SNS RQ and SNS identification are key factors affecting CCB, whereas financial bond (firm-focused) and consumer-company identification (customer-focused) are critical initiators. The findings reveal contingencies across service attributes for such effects. Experienced service firms can better encourage CCB by intimating SNS relationships with followers. Search firms should secure online identification to enable customers to perform CCB. The results also confirm the mediating effects of SNS RQ and SNS identification. ::: ::: ::: ::: ::: Originality/value ::: ::: ::: ::: ::: This study contributes to the literature by simultaneously examining the firm (external)- and individual (internal)-level of incentives, and to further reveal the main drivers encouraging CCB on corporate SNS. This study also belongs to the limited studies that discuss consumer voluntary behaviors on the corporate SNS. The results shed light on the existence of a contingency role for service attribute on SNS, and further suggest how firms with distinct attributes can effectively allocate their limited resources when encouraging CCB on SNS.


Hierarchical routing in sensor networks using k-dominating sets

Abstract: For a connected graph, representing a sensor network, distributed algorithms for the Set Covering Problem can be employed to construct reasonably small subsets of the nodes, called k-SPR sets. Such a set can serve as a virtual backbone to facilitate shortest path routing, as introduced in [4] and [14]. When employed in a hierarchical fashion, together with a hybrid (partly proactive, partly reactive) strategy, the k-SPR set methods become highly scalable, resulting in guaranteed minimal path routing, with comparatively little overhead.


[New method for the purification of polypeptide synthetases. VII].


[Malaria in Dakar: epidemiological clinical and parasitological aspects].

Abstract: A retrospective case control study is underdone in Infections Diseases Service of Dakar (Senegal) from june 1 st, 1989 to december 31 st, 1989. 203 observations are collected on the basis of positive blood stream and blood films with Plasmodium falciparum. The authors give the epidemiological picture of the two clinical features which are: Malignant tertian (107 cases-53%) and intermittent access (96 cases-47%). Lethal risk is 12 fold higher in Malignant tertian form than in the intermittent one. Parasitemia median is below 5,000 parasites/mm3. There is no relation between parasite density and clinical pictures. Thus, they advance tumor necrosis factor's in the pathogenia as others authors did and its impact in vital prognostic.


A case of ulnar aneurysm. Clinical and surgical considerations.

Abstract: Although ulnar artery aneurysms have been known since the 17th century, fewer than 100 cases have been reported. Because of the rarity of this condition, a case of traumatic ulnar artery aneurysm which was operated on in our department is presented and the clinical findings, diagnosis and surgical implications are considered.


A Process Algebraic Description of a Temporal Wireless Network Protocol

Abstract: The problem of coordination is central to research in robotics, automatically guided vehicles, autonomous cars, unmanned aerial vehicles, and any other areas in which autonomous agents of any kind operate concurrently. This paper focuses on one particular model of coordination, namely Comhord´u. The contribution of this work is a formalisation of the existing model in precise mathematical terms. This formalisation extends our understanding of the model and provides a basis for future work such as the formal verification of model properties, e.g. system safety.

Electronic Communication of The European Association of Software Science and Technology


Incremental Multi-Source Recognition with Non-Negative Matrix Factorization

Abstract: A curable resin system in supercritical carbon dioxide as diluent includes an epoxy resin, a co-reactant selected from poly N-substituted aziridines, and a catalyst to promote cure at ambient temperature. The system is compatible with various epoxy resins such as bisphenol A epoxy, bisphenol F epoxy, novolac epoxy, cycloaliphatic epoxy, triglycidyl-aminophenol, and triglycidyl isocyanurate. The aziridine co-reactant may be selected from reaction products of NH aziridines with acrylates and methacrylates of trimethylolpropane, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, bisphenol A, bisphenol F, pentaerythritol, glycerol, and their alkoxylated derivatives; reaction products of NH aziridines with epoxy compounds; and 1-aziridine ethanol and its reaction products with epoxy and isocyanate functional compounds. Suitable catalysts include acid salts and complexes, strong electron accepting compounds, combinations of silicon hydrides and metal complexes, and non-halogen containing boron derivatives. As an option, compounds having active hydrogen, such as mono or multifunctional phenols, alcohols, and carboxylic acids, with or without anhydrides, may be added. The curable resin system provides controlled cure rates at ambient temperature, compatibility with SCF CO2 spray application systems, and no release of volatile organic compounds during cure.


Inhibition of microtubules and dynein rescues human immunodeficiency virus type 1 from owl monkey TRIMCyp-mediated restriction in a cellular context-specific fashion

Abstract: IFN-induced restriction factors can significantly affect the replicative capacity of retroviruses in mammals. TRIM5α (tripartite motif protein 5, isoform α) is a restriction factor that acts at early stages of the virus life cycle by intercepting and destabilizing incoming retroviral cores. Sensitivity to TRIM5α maps to the N-terminal domain of the retroviral capsid proteins. In several New World and Old World monkey species, independent events of retrotransposon-mediated insertion of the cyclophilin A (CypA)-coding sequence in the trim5 gene have given rise to TRIMCyp (also called TRIM5-CypA), a hybrid protein that is active against some lentiviruses in a species-specific fashion. In particular, TRIMCyp from the owl monkey (omkTRIMCyp) very efficiently inhibits human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Previously, we showed that disrupting the integrity of microtubules (MTs) and of cytoplasmic dynein complexes partially rescued replication of retroviruses, including HIV-1, from restriction mediated by TRIM5α. Here, we showed that efficient restriction of HIV-1 by omkTRIMCyp was similarly dependent on the MT network and on dynein complexes, but in a context-dependent fashion. When omkTRIMCyp was expressed in human HeLa cells, restriction was partially counteracted by pharmacological agents targeting MTs or by small interfering RNA-mediated inhibition of dynein. The same drugs (nocodazole and paclitaxel) also rescued HIV-1 from restriction in cat CRFK cells, although to a lesser extent. Strikingly, neither nocodazole, paclitaxel nor depletion of the dynein heavy chain had a significant effect on the restriction of HIV-1 in an owl monkey cell line. These results suggested the existence of cell-specific functional interactions between MTs/dynein and TRIMCyp.


Investigation of the human Rh blood group system in nonhuman primates and other species with serologic and Southern blot analysis

Abstract: To investigate the evolution of the Rh blood-group system in anthropoid apes, New and Old World monkeys, and nonprimate animals, serologic typing of erythrocytes from these species with antibodies specific for the human Rh blood-group antigens was performed. In addition, genomic DNA from these animals was analyzed on Southern blots with a human Rh-specific cDNA. Consistent with earlier reports, serologic results showed that gorilla and chimpanzee erythrocytes had epitopes recognized by human Rh D and c antisera, and gibbon erythrocytes were recognized by the c antisera. Surprisingly, some Old and New World monkeys also expressed a Rh c epitope on their erythrocytes. No erythrocytes from the nonprimate animals reacted specifically with any of the human Rh antisera. Southern blot analysis with a human Rh-specific cDNA probe detected Rh-related sequences in anthropoid apes, all New and Old World monkeys, and in most nonprimate animals tested. Although some Rh-related restriction fragments were conserved across species lines in primates, the Rh locus was more polymorphic in chimpanzees and gorillas than in humans. In addition, restriction fragments segregating with the presence of the D antigen in humans were present in the primate species that expressed the D antigen.


AIT, 2011 A Novel Approach to the Early Stage Software Development Effort Estimations using Neural Network Models: A Case Study

Abstract: Software development is a team activity which has got well defined stages. At every stage we have a milestone and a milestone needs to be achieved in order to move to the next level. On time and within budget delivery is the ultimate goal of software projects. Software project management is the set of processes and guidelines which help us in achieving the on time & within budget product delivery. Lot of studies has been carried out on software development effort estimations which forms a key part of the software project management. Many models have been proposed over the years for cost estimations but it is still a subject of constant research due to the ever changing nature of software development. This paper describes a novel approach towards the effort estimations at the early stages of software development life cycle (SDLC). A dataset has been created based on the Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERD’s) developed by different engineering students as part of their Major Project’s spreading different batches & year. In this paper three different NN models are used and their results are compared based on the standard evaluation criteria’s such as MMRE, MRE, BRE and Pred(20). General Terms Early stage software development effort estimation

International Journal of Computer Applications


[Was Bennett's movement included in the movement described by Antoine Ferrein en 1744?].


MediaParl: Bilingual mixed language accented speech database

Abstract: MediaParl is a Swiss accented bilingual database containing recordings in both French and German as they are spoken in Switzerland. The data were recorded at the Valais Parliament. Valais is a bilingual Swiss canton with many local accents and dialects. Therefore, the database contains data with high variability and is suitable to study multilingual, accented and non-native speech recognition as well as language identification and language switch detection. We also define monolingual and mixed language automatic speech recognition and language identifictaion tasks and evaluate baseline systems. The database is publicly available for download.

2012 IEEE Spoken Language Technology Workshop (SLT)


Learning Multilayer Channel Features for Pedestrian Detection

Abstract: Pedestrian detection based on the combination of convolutional neural network (CNN) and traditional handcrafted features (i.e., HOG+LUV) has achieved great success. In general, HOG+LUV are used to generate the candidate proposals and then CNN classifies these proposals. Despite its success, there is still room for improvement. For example, CNN classifies these proposals by the fully connected layer features, while proposal scores and the features in the inner-layers of CNN are ignored. In this paper, we propose a unifying framework called multi-layer channel features (MCF) to overcome the drawback. It first integrates HOG+LUV with each layer of CNN into a multi-layer image channels. Based on the multi-layer image channels, a multi-stage cascade AdaBoost is then learned. The weak classifiers in each stage of the multi-stage cascade are learned from the image channels of corresponding layer. Experiments on Caltech data set, INRIA data set, ETH data set, TUD-Brussels data set, and KITTI data set are conducted. With more abundant features, an MCF achieves the state of the art on Caltech pedestrian data set (i.e., 10.40% miss rate). Using new and accurate annotations, an MCF achieves 7.98% miss rate. As many non-pedestrian detection windows can be quickly rejected by the first few stages, it accelerates detection speed by 1.43 times. By eliminating the highly overlapped detection windows with lower scores after the first stage, it is 4.07 times faster than negligible performance loss.


Periodontal files--a comparative study.

Abstract: Periodontal files are used by many dentists for instrumentation of root surfaces as a part of periodontal treatment. The purposes of this study were: 1) to examine, evaluate, and compare several periodontal files in 3 different conditions: new, used, and used/sharpened and 2) to evaluate the efficacy of 5 sharpening devices. The main characteristics observed included: the number, shape, and interval of blades; the active, rake, and lip angles; changes induced by wear; the influence of sharpening; and the type of metal surfaces comprising the blades. There was a wide range of active angles on each individual file, from a high of 75 degrees to a low of 51 degrees. The range of active angles for all blades on all new files was even greater, from a high of 87 degrees to a low of 30 degrees. Wear, observed on some but not all blades, was not extensive and appeared either as abrasion or, occasionally, as fracture of the blade edge. Sharpness scores (5 = sharpest and 1 = dullest) for new file blades were also extremely variable and spanned the full range of values, with a majority of blades scoring 3.5 and below. Attempts to sharpen files with several devices produced inconsistent results. All 5 sharpening devices had significant shortcomings. It was concluded that the extreme ranges both in active angles and in sharpness scores probably have a significant influence on effectiveness of root instrumentation.


Practical rate control for video over WLAN

CCNC 2006. 2006 3rd IEEE Consumer Communications and Networking Conference, 2006.


Suppression of the pregnane X receptor during endoplasmic reticulum stress is achieved by down-regulating hepatocyte nuclear factor-4α and up-regulating liver-enriched inhibitory protein.

Abstract: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is recognized as a common theme in the development of metabolic syndrome and other diseases. Chronic liver diseases develop ER stress and also show decreased capacity of drug metabolism. The pregnane X receptor (PXR) is a master regulator of genes involved in drug elimination. This study was performed to determine whether ER stress condition decreases the expression of PXR and whether the decrease alters the induction of cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4). Human primary hepatocytes and HepG2 cell line (human hepatocellular carcinoma) were treated with brefeldin A and thapsigargin, 2 well-established ER stressors. Without exceptions, both stressors significantly decreased the expression of PXR. The decrease led to reduced induction of CYP3A4. Reporter dissection study, electrophoretic mobility shift assay, and chromatin immunoprecipitation located in the PXR promoter region 2 adjacent elements recognized by hepatocyte nuclear factor-4α (HNF-4α) and cytidine-cytidine-adenosine-adenosine-thymidine enhanced binding proteins (C/EBPs), respectively. Additional studies demonstrated that HNF-4α was down-regulated during ER stress but the expression of C/EBPβ varied depending on a particular form of C/EBPβ. Liver-enriched activator protein (LAP) was down-regulated but liver-enriched inhibitory protein (LIP) was highly induced. Nevertheless, over-expression of HNF-4α or LAP restored the expression of PXR. Interestingly, the very same sequence also responded to interleukin-6 (IL-6), and primary hepatocytes treated with thapsigargin significantly increased the level of IL-6 mRNA. These findings establish a functional interconnection between ER stress and signaling of proinflammatory cytokines in the regulation of PXR expression.

Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology


Intrinsic parameter fluctuations in MOSFETs due to structural non-uniformity of high-/spl kappa/ gate stack materials

Abstract: Non-uniformity of the dielectric properties of high-/ spl kappa/ material due to random grain orientation and phase separation will lead to variation in characteristics between different devices. Here we present a model for phase separated high-/ spl kappa/ dielectrics and investigate, by means of 3D numerical device simulation, the intrinsic parameter fluctuations which result from this structural non-uniformity.

2005 International Conference On Simulation of Semiconductor Processes and Devices


Invariant natural killer T cells recognize lipid self antigen induced by microbial danger signals

Abstract: The identification of an endogenous ligand for natural killer T cells has remained elusive. Brenner and colleagues identify β-d-glucopyranosylceramide as a physiologically important self ligand for these cells.


Systematic Review of the Effect of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Dosing Schedules on Vaccine-type Nasopharyngeal Carriage

Abstract: Background: ::: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) reduce nasopharyngeal carriage of vaccine type (VT) pneumococci, an important driver of vaccine programs’ overall benefits. The dosing schedule that best reduces carriage is unclear.

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal


Assembly of Four Diverse Heterocyclic Libraries Enabled by Prins Cyclization, Au-Catalyzed Enyne Cycloisomerization, and Automated Amide Synthesis

Abstract: We describe a unified synthetic strategy for efficient assembly of four new heterocyclic libraries. The synthesis began by creating a range of structurally diverse pyrrolidinones or piperidinones. Such compounds were obtained in a simple one-flask operation starting with readily available amines, ketoesters, and unsaturated anhydrides. The use of tetrahydropyran-containing ketoesters, which were rapidly assembled by our Prins cyclization protocol, enabled efficient fusion of pyran and piperidinone cores. A newly developed Au(I)-catalyzed cycloisomerization of alkyne-containing enamides further expanded heterocyclic diversity by providing rapid entry into a wide range of bicyclic and tricyclic dienamides. The final stage of the process entailed diversification of each of the initially produced carboxylic acids using a fully automated platform for amide synthesis, which delivered 1872 compounds in high diastereomeric and chemical purity.


On the complexity of HTN plan verification and its implications for plan recognition

Abstract: In classical planning it is easy to verify if a given sequence of actions is a solution to a planning problem. It has to be checked whether the actions are applicable in the given order and if a goal state is reached after executing them. In this paper we show that verifying whether a plan is a solution to an HTN planning problem is much harder. More specifically, we prove that this problem is NP-complete, even for very simple HTN planning problems. Furthermore, this problem remains NP-complete if an executable sequence of tasks is already provided. HTN-like hierarchical structures are commonly used to represent plan libraries in plan and goal recognition. By applying our result to plan and goal recognition we provide insight into its complexity.


An enhanced component connection method for conversion of fault trees to binary decision diagrams

Abstract: Abstract Fault tree analysis (FTA) is widely applied to assess the failure probability of industrial systems. Many computer packages are available, which are based on conventional kinetic tree theory methods. When dealing with large (possibly non-coherent) fault trees, the limitations of the technique in terms of accuracy of the solutions and the efficiency of the processing time become apparent. Over recent years, the binary decision diagram (BDD) method has been developed that solves fault trees and overcomes the disadvantages of the conventional FTA approach. First of all, a fault tree for a particular system failure mode is constructed and then converted to a BDD for analysis. This paper analyses alternative methods for the fault tree to BDD conversion process. For most fault tree to BDD conversion approaches, the basic events of the fault tree are placed in an ordering. This can dramatically affect the size of the final BDD and the success of qualitative and quantitative analyses of the system. A set of rules is then applied to each gate in the fault tree to generate the BDD. An alternative approach can also be used, where BDD constructs for each of the gate types are first built and then merged to represent a parent gate. A powerful and efficient property, sub-node sharing, is also incorporated in the enhanced method proposed in this paper. Finally, a combined approach is developed taking the best features of the alternative methods. The efficiency of the techniques is analysed and discussed.


PURIFICATION AND PROPERTIES OF DESOXYRIBONUCLEASE ISOLATED FROM BEEF PANCREAS

Abstract: 1. A method is described for the isolation and purification of desoxyribonuclease from a 0.25 N sulfuric acid extract of beef pancreas. The activity of the enzyme is measured by a viscosimetric method using sodium desoxyribonucleate from calf thymus as substrate. 2. The enzyme is highly active, a measurable effect being obtained at concentrations of less than 0.01 microgram per cc. In highly dilute solution the enzyme is rapidly inactivated, and the use of a protective agent such as gelatin or peptone is necessary. 3. The purified material contains traces of a proteolytic enzyme, but displays no ribonuclease, lipase, or phosphatase activity. 4. The enzyme requires activation by magnesium or manganese ion, and citrate serves as a potent inhibitor of the magnesium-activated enzyme. 5. Its enzymatic activity is inhibited by the specific antibody present in the serum of rabbits immunized with enzyme protein.


Evaluation of the ICT malaria P.f/P.v and the OptiMal rapid diagnostic tests for malaria in febrile returned travellers.

Abstract: Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are less reliant on expert microscopy and have the potential to reduce errors in malaria diagnosis but have not been extensively evaluated in nonimmune persons or in countries where infection is not endemic. We evaluated the ICT P.f/P.v (ICT-Amrad, Sydney, Australia) and OptiMal (Flow Inc., Portland, Oreg.) assays prospectively for the diagnosis of malaria in 158 specimens from 144 febrile returned travellers in Australia by using expert microscopy and PCR as reference standards. Malaria was diagnosed in 93 specimens from 87 patients by expert microscopy, with 3 additional specimens from recently treated patients testing positive for Plasmodium falciparum by PCR. For the diagnosis of asexual-stage P. falciparum malaria, the sensitivity and specificity of the ICT P.f/P.v assay were 97 and 90%, respectively, and those of the OptiMal assay were 85 and 96%, respectively. The ICT P.f/P.v assay missed one infection with a density of 45 parasites/ micro l, whereas the OptiMal assay missed infections up to 2,500/ micro l; below 1,000/ micro l, its sensitivity was only 43%. For the diagnosis of P. vivax malaria, the sensitivity and specificity of the ICT P.f/P.v assay were 44 and 100%, respectively, and those of the OptiMal assay were 80 and 97%, respectively. Both assays missed infections with parasite densities over 5,000/ micro l: up to 10,000/ micro l with the former and 5,300/ micro l with the latter. Despite the high sensitivity of the ICT P.f/P.v assay for P. falciparum malaria, caution is warranted before RDTs are widely adopted for the diagnosis of malaria in nonimmune patients or in countries where malaria is not endemic.


Automatic language identification using mixed-order HMMs and untranscribed corpora.


Effects of local anaesthetics on carrageenan-evoked inflammatory nociceptive processing in the rat

Abstract: We have assessed the effects of intraplantar local anaesthetics (bupivacaine and lignocaine) on carrageenan-induced oedema, mechanical allodynia and spinal c-fos protein expression. Mechanical allodynia was evaluated using the vocalization threshold to paw pressure (VTPP) every 30 min until 60, 180 or 240 min after administration of carrageenan. Peripheral oedema, mechanical allodynia and spinal c-fos protein expression were maximal 180 min after carrageenan. Lignocaine did not influence either oedema or VTPP, but reduced spinal c-fos expression at 60 min after carrageenan without later effects. Bupivacaine induced an increase in VTPP at 30 and 60 min, limitation of oedema at 60 min and a reduction in spinal c-fos expression at 60 and 180 min, but these effects were not present 240 min after carrageenan. Intraplantar infiltration with lignocaine and bupivacaine before carrageenan transiently limited signs of inflammatory pain but did not prevent them.


The effect of unilateral internal carotid arterial occlusion upon contralateral duplex study: Criteria for accurate interpretation

Abstract: Abstract To determine the influence of unilateral internal carotid arterial occlusion (ICO) on Doppler frequency spectral analysis (DFSA) of the patent contralateral carotid artery, a retrospective review of 154 patients between July 1987 and December 1991 with angiographically confirmed ICO was performed, correlating duplex and arteriographic findings in a blinded fashion. Biplane arteriograms and bilateral carotid artery duplex studies that used a 5.0 MHz Doppler probe with a 1.5 mm 3 sample volume at a 60 degree angle of insonation were performed on all patients. Each carotid artery was categorized by the severity of stenosis as quantified by arteriography: 1% to 15% ( n = 41); 16% to 49% ( n = 48), 50% to 79% ( n = 21), 80% to 99% ( n = 34), and bilateral occlusion ( n = 10). DFSA peak systolic frequencies were commonly exaggerated in the presence of contralateral ICO and use of standard criteria for DFSA interpretation overestimated bifurcation stenoses in 43 of 89 lesions (48.3%) when determining nonhemodynamically significant lesions ( 50% diameter reduction) with standard criteria had 96.9% sensitivity but only 57.3% specificity. Modification of these criteria to account for the velocity increase or “jet effect” in the ipsilateral carotid artery system increased the sensitivity and specificity to 97.8% in predicting nonhemodynamically and hemodynamically significant stenoses respectively. A Doppler frequency spectrum with a peak systolic frequency (PSF) >4.0 kHz and end-diastolic frequency (EDF) 4.5 kHz with associated spectral broadening differentiated stenosis >50%, whereas an increase in EDF >5 kHz further categorized those stenoses with 80% to 99% diameter reduction. Kappa statistics were significantly different ( p K = 0.577 ± 0.113) versus the modified criteria ( K = 0.872 ± 0.060). We conclude that the presence of unilateral ICO influences the resultant flow velocity in the patent companion cerebral vessels, including the contralateral carotid artery and may lead to an overestimation of the actual degree of stenosis by standard DFSA criteria. A simple modification of the DFSA interpretation criteria permits more accurate differentiation between hemodynamically significant and nonhemodynamically significant lesions and is therefore important in the management of progressive extracranial cerebrovascular disease opposite an already occluded carotid artery system. ( J Vasc Surg 1992;16:459–68.)


Health Literacy and Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Among HIV-Infected Youth

Abstract: Health literacy has been associated with adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in HIV-infected adults, but this association has not been demonstrated in HIV-infected adolescents. Using an expanded health literacy model, we examined the relationship between health literacy, functional literacy, beliefs about ART, media use, and adherence to ART. A convenience sample of HIV-infected adolescents (n = 50) was recruited for this cross-sectional study. The primary outcome of adherence was measured with 3-day self-reports. Health literacy as measured by the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) was not predictive of adherence (p = .15). Participants with higher positive outcome expectancy scores regarding ART were more likely to report 100% adherence, and participants with below-grade-level reading were less likely to report 100% adherence (p < .05). Our findings highlight the importance of assessing both health beliefs and reading skills as part of adherence support for HIV-infected youth.

The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care : JANAC


Investigating a First-Year Seminar as an Anchor Course in Learning Communities.

Abstract: First-year seminars have increasingly been used as anchor courses in learning communities. This study investigated the impact participation in Freshman Seminar had on the grade earned in a linked learning community course in fall 2004. Grades in the linked course for 1,294 first-year students who were enrolled in 37 different learning communities where Freshman Seminar served as the anchor course were analyzed. Students enrolled in a linked section of Freshman Seminar earned higher grades in the learning community course than both students enrolled in a non-linked version of Freshman Seminar and students not enrolled in Freshman Seminar. In addi- tion, first-year students enrolled in a Freshman Seminar that was not linked to the learning community class outperformed first-year students who did not enroll in Freshman Seminar.

Journal of the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition


Munc18‐2 is required for Syntaxin 11 Localization on the Plasma Membrane in Cytotoxic T‐Lymphocytes

Abstract: Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL) kill their targets by cytolytic granule secretion at the immunological synapse. The Sec/Munc protein, Munc18-2, and its binding partner Syntaxin 11 (STX11) are both required for granule secretion, with mutations in either leading to the primary immunodeficiency, Familial Haemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (FHL4 and 5). Understanding how Munc18-2 and STX11 function in CTL has been hampered by not knowing the endogenous localization of these proteins. Using a novel FHL5 Munc18-2 mutation that results in loss of protein, cytotoxicity and degranulation together with CTL from an FHL4 patient lacking STX11, enabled us to localize endogenous STX11 and Munc18-2 in CTL. Munc18-2 localized predominantly to cytolytic granules with low levels associated with the plasma membrane where STX11 localized. Importantly, while Munc18-2 localization is unaffected by the absence of STX11 in FHL4 CTL, STX11 is lost from the plasma membrane in FHL5 CTL lacking Munc18-2. These findings support a role for Munc18-2 in chaperoning STX11 to the plasma membrane where the final fusion events involved in secretion occur.


No lack of determination


Towards a pattern language approach to establishing personal authoring environments in e-learning

Abstract: Establishing a suitable environment for multimedia course production is important for e-learning authors. Such an environment includes two primary components: an authoring station for preparing the artifacts and a physical workplace where authoring takes place. The establishment of the environment is a non-trivial task because it involves several disciplines such as IT, pedagogy, and human-computer interaction. Inspired by Christopher Alexander's work on pattern languages, this paper proposes a pattern language for establishing personal authoring environments in e-learning. The pattern language takes the end-user perspective and can be applied by people with interests in creating a personal authoring environment for producing quality e-learning contents. Its use is illustrated with an example.


Zero-divisor graphs of partially ordered sets

Abstract: Abstract Let ( P , ≤ ) be a partially ordered set (poset, briefly) with a least element 0 and S ⊆ P . An element x ∈ P is a lower bound of S if s ≥ x for all s ∈ S . A simple graph G ( P ) is associated to each poset P with 0. The vertices of the graph are labeled by the elements of P , and two vertices x , y are connected by an edge in case 0 is the only lower bound of { x , y } in P . We show that if the chromatic number χ ( G ( P ) ) and the clique number ω ( G ( P ) ) are finite, then χ ( G ( P ) ) = ω ( G ( P ) ) = n + 1 in which n is the number of minimal prime ideals of P .


Progress in understanding the LDL receptor and HMG-CoA reductase , two membrane proteins that regulate the plasma cholesterol

Abstract: A system and method for signal peak reduction in a spread spectrum communication system of the type including a filter for limiting signal bandwidth of symbols transmitted from the system. A signal peak reduction unit is provided before the filter that includes a filter predictor that predicts the effect of the filter on input symbols by using filter coefficient values corresponding to the filter impulse response function. Input symbols that are predicted to cause the output signal to exceed a predetermined peak limit value are adjusted. Several examples of suitable algorithms for calculating the necessary peak reduction to be applied to the input symbols are disclosed. The peak reduction unit provides adjusted symbols to the filter for processing and communication system output.


Corneo-scleral suture.


Vitamin D supplementation for cystic fibrosis

Abstract: BACKGROUND ::: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder with multiorgan effects. In a subgroup with pancreatic insufficiency malabsorption of the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) may occur. Vitamin D is involved in calcium homeostasis and bone mineralisation and may have extraskeletal effects. This review examines the evidence for vitamin D supplementation in CF. ::: ::: ::: OBJECTIVES ::: To assess the effects of vitamin D supplementation on the frequency of vitamin D deficiency, respiratory outcomes and vitamin D toxicity in the CF population. ::: ::: ::: SEARCH STRATEGY ::: We searched the Cochrane CF and Genetic Disorders Group Trials Register comprising references identified from comprehensive electronic database searches and handsearches of relevant journals and abstract books of conference proceedings.Most recent search: 09 June 2009. ::: ::: ::: SELECTION CRITERIA ::: Randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials of vitamin D supplementation compared to placebo in the CF population regardless of exocrine pancreatic function. ::: ::: ::: DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS ::: Both authors independently assessed the 'risk of bias' of each included trial and extracted outcome data (from published trial information) for assessment of bone mineralization, growth and nutritional status, frequency of vitamin D deficiency, respiratory status, quality of life and adverse events. ::: ::: ::: MAIN RESULTS ::: Three studies are included, although only data from two were available (41 adults and children with CF). One of these studies compared supplemental 800 international units (IU) vitamin D and placebo for 12 months in 30 osteopenic pancreatic insufficient adults; both groups continued 900 IU vitamin D daily. The other (abstract only) compared supplemental 1g calcium alone, 1600 IU vitamin D alone, 1600 IU vitamin D and 1g calcium and placebo in a double-blind randomised cross-over trial; only 11 children (vitamin D and placebo groups) after six-months supplementation are included; inclusion criteria, pancreatic sufficiency or disease status of participants are not defined. There were no significant differences in primary or secondary outcomes in either study. The studies are not directly comparable due to differences in supplementation, outcome reporting and possibly participant characteristics (eg severity of lung disease, growth and nutrition, pancreatic sufficiency). There were no adverse events in either study. The third study (abstract only) compared daily calcitriol (0.25 or 0.5 micrograms) with placebo in pancreatic insufficient children and young adults, only pre-intervention data were available. ::: ::: ::: AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS ::: There is no evidence of benefit or harm in the limited number of small-sized published trials. Adherence to relevant CF guidelines on vitamin D should be considered until further evidence is available.

The Cochrane database of systematic reviews


Squares and Covering Matrices

Abstract: Viale introduced covering matrices in his proof that SCH follows from PFA. In the course of the proof amd subsequent work with Sharon, he isolated two reflection principles, CP and S, which, under certain circumstances, are satisfied by all covering matrices of a certain shape. Using square sequences, we construct covering matrices for which CP and S fail. This leads naturally to an investigation of square principles intermediate between $\square_{\kappa}$ and $\square(\kappa^+)$ for a regular cardinal $\kappa$. We provide a detailed picture of the implications between these square principles.


First order phase transition and hysteresis in a cell's maintenance of the membrane potential - An essential role for the inward potassium rectifiers

Abstract: Hysteretic behavior is found experimentally in the transmembrane potential at low extracellular potassium in mouse lumbrical muscle cells. Adding isoprenaline to the external medium eliminates the bistable, hysteretic region. The system can be modeled mathematically and understood analytically with and without isoprenaline. Inward rectifying potassium channels appear to be essential for the bistability. Relations are derived to express the dimensions of the bistable area in terms of system parameters. The selective advantage and evolutionary origin of inward rectifying channels and hysteretic behavior is discussed.


History of Modern Applied Mathematics in Mathematics Education.

Abstract: When conversations turn to using history of mathematics in classrooms, the rnferent is typically the old, often antique, history of the discipline (e g, Calinger, 1996; Fauvel & van Maanen, 2000; Jahnke et al, 1996; Katz, 2000) [2] This tendency might be expected, given that old mathematics is often more closely related to school mathematics However, there seem to be some clear advantages of including histories of more modern applied mathematics 01 histories of modem applications of mathematics [3] One (justified) objection to integrating elements of the history of modetn applied mathematics is that it is often complex and difficult While this may be so in most instances, it is worthwhile to search for cases where it isn't so I consider three here. The two first are examples of modem applied mathematics, more precisely the ear1y history of error correcting codes (Shannon, Hamming, and Golay) and the early history of data compression (Huffman). The third is an example of a modem application of (old) mathematics, the history of public-key cryptography. I use these cases to examine possible effects of the history of modem applied mathematics on teaching and learning, as well as what differences may arise in using newer histories of mathematics I distinguish between the use of history in mathematics education as (1) a tool, in the sense of assisting the actual leaining of mathematics (mathematical concepts, theories, and so forth), and as (2) a goal in itself, for example, by bringing about meta-aspects concerning the history of mathematics in mathematics education (e g Jankvist, 2007; J ankvist, in press) By meta-aspects, I am thinking of posing and responding to questions such as the following, drawn from Niss (2001, p 10): How does mathematics evolve in time and space?


Speaker adaptive acoustic modeling with mixture of adult and children's speech.


Avenues for starting a private duty agency.

Caring : National Association for Home Care magazine


Establishment of patient-derived gastric cancer xenografts: a useful tool for preclinical evaluation of targeted therapies involving alterations in HER-2, MET and FGFR2 signaling pathways

Abstract: BACKGROUND ::: Targeted therapies are emerging treatment options for gastric cancer (GC). Patient-derived tumor xenograft(PDX) models of GC closely retain the features of the original clinical cancer, offering a powerful tool for preclinical drug efficacy testing. This study aimed to establish PDX GC models, and explore therapeutics targeting Her2, MET(cMet), and FGFR2, which may assist doctor to select the proper target therapy for selected patients. ::: ::: ::: METHODS ::: GC tissues from 32 patients were collected and implanted into immuno-deficient mice. Using immunohistochemistry(IHC) and fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH), protein levels and/or gene amplification of Her2, cMet and FGFR2 in those tissues were assessed. Finally, anti-tumor efficacy was tested in the PDX models using targeted inhibitors. ::: ::: ::: RESULTS ::: A total of 9 passable PDX models were successfully established from 32 gastric cancer xenograft donors, consisting of HER2,cMet and FGFR2 alterations with percentages of 4(12.5%), 8(25.0%) and 1(3.1%) respectively. Crizotinib and AZD4547 exerted marked antitumor effects exclusively in PDX models with cMet (G30,G31) and FGFR2(G03) amplification. Interestingly, synergistic antitumor activity was observed in G03 (FGFR2-amplifed and cMet non-amplified but IHC [2+]) with simultaneous treatment with Crizotinib and ADZ4547 at day 30 post-treatment. Further in vitro biochemistry study showed a synergistic inhibition of the MAPK/ERK pathway. HER2,cMet and FGFR2 alterations were found in 17 (10.4%), 32(19.6%) and 6(3.7%) in a group of 163 GC patients, and cMet gene amplification or protein overexpression(IHC 3+) was associated with poor prognosis. ::: ::: ::: CONCLUSIONS ::: These PDX GC models provide an ideal platform for drug screening and evaluation. GC patients with positive cMet or FGFR2 gene amplification may potentially benefit from cMet or FGFR2 targeted therapies or combined targeted therapy.


The validity of the Brain Injury Cognitive Screen (BICS) as a neuropsychological screening assessment for traumatic and non-traumatic brain injury.

Abstract: AbstractObjective: The Brain Injury Cognitive Screen (BICS) was developed as an in-service cognitive assessment battery for acquired brain injury patients entering community rehabilitation. The BICS focuses on domains that are particularly compromised following TBI, and provides a broader and more detailed assessment of executive function, attention and information processing than comparable screening assessments. The BICS also includes brief assessments of perception, naming, and construction, which were predicted to be more sensitive to impairments following non-traumatic brain injury. The studies reported here examine preliminary evidence for its validity in post-acute rehabilitation. Method: In Study 1, TBI patients completed the BICS and were compared with matched controls. Patients with focal lesions and matched controls were compared in Study 2. Study 3 examined demographic effects in a sample of normative data. Results: TBI and focal lesion patients obtained significantly lower composite memory, e...


On Multi-User Gain in MIMO Systems with Rate Constraints

Abstract: In this paper, we study the advantages of multi-user concurrent transmission, measured using the multi-user gain (MUG), in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems with rate constraints. Our focus is on a maximum eigenmode beamforming (MEB) strategy. We derive a closed-form expression for the transmitted sum power required by the MEB strategy and prove that this strategy is asymptotically optimal. The simple closed-form expression for the MEB sum-power provides many useful insights into the asymptotic behavior of multi-user MIMO systems. Interleave-division multiple-access is adopted as a platform for implementing the proposed MEB scheme. Both numerical and simulation results show that a major part of MUG can be achieved with a quite small number of users.

IEEE GLOBECOM 2007 - IEEE Global Telecommunications Conference


Synergism of X-rays and bleomycin on Ehrlich ascites tumour cells


Recommended care and handling of flexible endoscopes: endoscope storage.

Gastroenterology nursing : the official journal of the Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates


Multiple , Cooperating , Simple Agents for the Area Coverage Problem


Targeting Wnt-Frizzled signaling in cardiovascular diseases

Abstract: Wnts are secreted glycoproteins implicated in biological processes ranging from embryonic cardiac development to uncontrolled cell proliferation in diseased conditions. Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Phenotypic modulation of vascular smooth muscle cells, migration and proliferation in intimal layer and increased extracellular matrix production are some of the known hallmarks of cardiovascular pathologies. Heterogeneity associated with the binding of Wnts to their transmembrane receptors, Frizzled, and coreceptors low density lipoprotein-receptor-related protein is indeed intriguing. Nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling of beta-catenin and activation of transcriptional factors, lymphoid enhancer factor and T cell activation factor leading to target gene activation has remained elusive. Our review highlights the emerging role of Wnt-Frizzled signaling in cardiovascular diseases. Overall, the pathway appears to be an attractive therapeutic target in identifying susceptible individuals at risk of developing restenosis/other vascular pathologies in the near future.


Labelling lymphocytes with technetium99m-hexamethyl propyleneamine oxime for scintigraphy: an improved labelling procedure.

Abstract: Leukocyte scintigraphy has been used as a standard diagnostic procedure for the detection of inflammation in vivo. In this study, we developed a method of labelling purified lymphocytes with technetium99m-hexamethyl propyleneamine oxime (Tc99m-HMPAO) without significantly impairing their function. This was confirmed by measurements of in vitro lymphocyte adhesion and migration and of both necrotic and apoptotic cell death. The results of the in vitro control studies indicate that the dysfunction of leukocytes caused by Tc99m-HMPAO labelling can be minimized by using a gentle labelling method and low Tc99m activity. Because lymphocytes have been thought to participate specifically in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), we compared scintigraphies obtained with Tc99m-HMPAO-labelled purified lymphocytes and mixed leukocytes in colitis patients. We found that a lower number of Tc99m-HMPAO-labelled peripheral blood lymphocytes accumulated in the inflamed colon during the first 4 h than labelled mixed leukocytes. The results are likely to reflect the dissimilar kinetics of lymphocyte traffic compared with granulocytes in IBD. We do not recommend the use of Tc99m-HMPAO-labelled purified lymphocytes as a diagnostic tool in chronic colitis. However, the in vitro data indicate that Tc99m-HMPAO-labelled lymphocytes may be suitable for studying short term lymphocyte recirculation and lymphocyte kinetics in other types of inflammation.


A decision rule for quantitative trait locus detection under the extended Bayesian LASSO model.

Abstract: Bayesian shrinkage analysis is arguably the state-of-the-art technique for large-scale multiple quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping. However, when the shrinkage model does not involve indicator variables for marker inclusion, QTL detection remains heavily dependent on significance thresholds derived from phenotype permutation under the null hypothesis of no phenotype-to-genotype association. This approach is computationally intensive and more importantly, the hypothetical data generation at the heart of the permutation-based method violates the Bayesian philosophy. Here we propose a fully Bayesian decision rule for QTL detection under the recently introduced extended Bayesian LASSO for QTL mapping. Our new decision rule is free of any hypothetical data generation and relies on the well-established Bayes factors for evaluating the evidence for QTL presence at any locus. Simulation results demonstrate the remarkable performance of our decision rule. An application to real-world data is considered as well.


Posterior decompression of the vertebral artery narrowed by cervical osteophyte: case report.

Abstract: BACKGROUND ::: Symptomatic vertebral artery compression caused by cervical spondylosis usually is caused by compression of the artery by osteophytes arising from the uncinate process. Compression from facet joint osteophytes is seldom reported. ::: ::: ::: CASE DESCRIPTION ::: A 69-year-old male developed symptomatic vertebral artery stenosis secondary to an osteophyte arising from the superior facet of the sixth cervical vertebra posterior to the artery. A posterior decompression of the vertebral artery with removal of the offending facet joint complex relieved the patient's transient neurologic events. ::: ::: ::: CONCLUSION ::: Symptomatic vertebral artery stenosis may be caused by osteophytes compressing the vertebral artery anteriorly from the uncinate process or posteriorly from the facet complex.


Opbouw en vernietiging : Van Sappho naar Dido

Abstract: In the Aeneid, the recurrent themes of ‘construction’ and ‘destruction’ can be connected to generic roles. Dido, founder of Carthage, is presented in progressively more lyric terms, as is suggested by a number of echoes of Sapphic love poetry; as a character, she is guided primarily by personal motives. Dido’s ‘lyrical role’ forebodes her own destruction and that of her city. Aeneas, on the other hand, needs to adhere to his epic role as founder of the new Trojan/Roman nation, in order to avert destruction and the repetition of Troy’s fate. When during his stay in Carthage, he starts to show signs of transforming into a lyrical lover, the gods intervene and put him back onto the epic track: the public interest should take precedence over personal feelings. This opposition between lyric Dido and epic Aeneas may grant insight into Vergil’s message for his contemporaries.


Publishing the Three-Volume Novel: The Experience of Richard Bentley and Son

The Rise and Fall of the Victorian Three-Volume Novel


114P Targeting the EGF-receptor and CD38 in solid and haematological malignancies with nanobody-based heavy chain antibodies and AAV vectors

Abstract: Abstract Background Although monoclonal antibodies binding the EGF-receptor (cetuximab, panitumumab) or CD38 (daratumumab) show therapeutic efficacy, many cancer patients still develop resistance. Therefore, new therapies are necessary. Nanobodies are highly soluble immunoglobulin domains derived from heavy chain antibodies (hcAbs) that naturally occur in camelids. Replication defective AAV (adeno associated virus) vectors, when equipped with a tumor targeting ligand, can be used for the delivery of (suicide) genes to tumor cells. Methods We generated recombinant chimeric nanobody-based human IgG1 hcAbs, by fusing EGFR- or CD38-specific nanobodies derived from immunized llamas to the hinge, CH2 and CH3 domains of human IgG1 (1, 2). To promote cytotoxic effector functions we introduced CDC (complement dependent cytotoxicity)-enhancing and ADCC (antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity)-enhancing mutations into the CH2 and CH3 domains of human IgG1. As a second strategy to target CD38-overexpressing cells, we inserted CD38-specific nanobodies into the VP1 capsid protein of AAV2 (3). We analyzed the capacity of these constructs to target EGFR and CD38 in tumor cell lines and multiple myeloma (MM) patient bone marrow samples using proliferation, CDC, ADCC and AAV-transduction assays. Results EGFR-specific hcAbs effectively blocked the proliferation of tumor cell lines (HNSCC, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and mCRC, metastatic colorectal cancer) expressing WT EGFR and cetuximab/panitumumab-escape variants of EGFR. EGFR- and CD38-specific hcAbs mediated effective ADCC towards tumor cell lines (HNSCC, mCRC and MM respectively). HcAbs carrying the hexabody mutation were more potent at inducing CDC than parental hcAbs. Display of CD38-specific nanobodies on the AAV capsid resulted in a 20- to 100-fold enhanced transduction of myeloma cells in patient bone marrow samples. Some of these results have recently been published (1, 2) or accepted for publication (3). We will present updated data on tumor cell lines and patient samples. Conclusion Nanobody-based hcAbs and nanobody-displaying AAV hold promise as novel tools to target solid and hematological tumors. Legal entity responsible for the study Friedrich Koch-Nolte. Funding DFG (German Research Foundation) and SFB (Collaborative Research Centres). Disclosure The author has declared no conflicts of interest.


Do tube feedings improve morbidity or mortality near end of life?


Contemplations on the publication authored by V.V. Menshutkin and V.F. Levchenko “A cognitive model of coevolution of the biosphere and the human society”


La responsabilità giuridica dell’ufficio di governo nell’ordinamento canonico

Abstract: The article explores the scope and consequences of the responsibility pertaining to ecclesiastical offices in the exercise of government functions. Based on an analysis of the meaning of responsibility as such, and the application of different kinds of responsibility to civil servants in state systems, the aim is to outline a structured system of responsibility for government roles in the canonical order, in both objective-functional and subjective- ethical terms.


Defects in Injection Molded Parts


Seating Gigerenzer, Gladwin, McClelland, Sheth and Simon at the Same Table: Constructing Workbench Theories of Decision Processes That Predict Outcomes Accurately

Handbook of Advances in Marketing in an Era of Disruptions: Essays in Honour of Jagdish N. Sheth