1786465565
The use of a submerged membrane batch reactor (S.M.B.R) for co-treatment of landfill leachates and domestic wastewater
Desalination and Water Treatment, 2012
Abstract The aims of this work were the examination of the treatment potential of landfill leachates domestic wastewater mixtures by a pilot scale membrane bioreactor system using a submerged plate and frame microfiltration (MF) membrane module and the investigation of the optimum operation conditions for the achievement of maximum COD and total nitrogen removal rates. The bioreactor was inoculated by 60 l of activated sludge and operated at an MLSS content reaching up to 25,000 mg/l; increased COD removal efficiencies were observed reaching up to 98%. High ammonium nitrogen removal efficiencies were achieved reaching up to 99% at extended operation times associated to long SRTs, resulting in effluent concentrations of about 1 mg/l; however, total nitrogen c...
1786465565
Is ‘practice size’ the key to quality of care?
Br J Gen Pract, 2013
Imagine key stakeholders in primary care — managers, politicians, policy advisors, and patients — have gathered to draft an ideal primary care structure. Some argue for large group practices, others say smaller practices are better, others that team work or salary payment is the key. Is there evidence that would help them? Moreover, is there an optimum sized general practice in terms of delivering safe, quality care that is also highly rated by patients? Or is general practice, by its very nature, best served by practices of different sizes and contexts?
The review in this Journal on ‘whether practice size matters for the quality of care in primary care’ does not resolve these questions.1 Many researchers have tried to find a relevant relationship be...
1786465564
Crystal Structure of ll-Diaminopimelate Aminotransferase from Arabidopsis thaliana: A Recently Discovered Enzyme in the Biosynthesis of l-Lysine by Plants and Chlamydia
Journal of Molecular Biology, 2007
The essential biosynthetic pathway to l-Lysine in bacteria and plants is an attractive target for the development of new antibiotics or herbicides because it is absent in humans, who must acquire this amino acid in their diet. Plants use a shortcut of a bacterial pathway to l-Lysine in which the pyridoxal-5′-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme ll-diaminopimelate aminotransferase (LL-DAP-AT) transforms l-tetrahydrodipicolinic acid (L-THDP) directly to LL-DAP. In addition, LL-DAP-AT was recently found in Chlamydia sp., suggesting that inhibitors of this enzyme may also be effective against such organisms. In order to understand the mechanism of this enzyme and to assist in the design of inhibitors, the three-dimensional crystal structure of LL-DAP-AT was determ...
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Parent–Child Relationship Quality and Gender as Moderators of the Influence of Hurricane Exposure on Physical Health Among Children and Youth
J. Pediatr. Psychol., 2015
To investigate the long-term influence of disaster exposure, parent-child relationship quality (PCRQ), and gender on child and youth physical health.Parent-child dyads (N = 1,886) were randomly selected and interviewed approximately 18 months after Hurricane Georges hit Puerto Rico (1998), and reinterviewed 12 months later. The outcome variables were parent report of a global rating of children's physical health, and frequency of medical problems and medical visits in the past year.Conservative analyses that accounted for a host of postdisaster health-relevant factors showed that hurricane exposure exerted detrimental influence on physical health at both 18 and 30 months after the event. The moderating role of PCRQ in the relation between hurricane exposure ...
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Over-expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related Protein-1 is associated with poor prognosis and invasion in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
Pancreatology, 2019
Low-density lipoprotein receptor-Related Protein-1 (LRP-1) has been reported to involve in tumor development. However, its role in pancreatic cancer has not been elucidated. The present study was designed to evaluate the expression of LRP-1 in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Cancer (PDAC) as well as its association with prognosis. Here, 478 pancreatic cancers were screened for suitable primary PDAC tumors. The samples were analyzed using qRT-PCR, western blotting, and Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining as well as LRP-1 expression in association with clinicopathological features. The relative LRP-1 mRNA expression was up-regulated in 82.3% (42/51) of the PDAC tumors and its expression (3.72 ± 1.25) was significantly higher than that in pancreatic normal ma...
1786465564
Sensitivity analysis of efficiency and Malmquist productivity indices: An application to Spanish savings banks
European Journal of Operational Research, 2008
Hypothesis testing and statistical precision in the context of non-parametric efficiency and productivity measurement have been investigated since the early 1990s. Recent contributions focus on this matter through the use of resampling methods—i.e., bootstrapping techniques. However, empirical evidence is still practically non-existent. This gap is more noticeable in the case of banking efficiency studies, where the literature is immense. In this work, we explore productivity growth and productive efficiency for Spanish savings banks over the (initial) post-deregulation period 1992–1998 using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and bootstrapping techniques. Results show that productivity growth has occurred, mainly due to improvement in production possibilit...
1786465564
Advances in the pathogenesis and treatment of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Pediatr Res, 2013
Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (s-JIA) is clinically distinct from other types of JIA. It is typified by extraarticular features such as quotidian fevers, rash, splenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, laboratory abnormalities (including leukocytosis, thrombocytosis, anemia, hyperferritinemia, and elevated inflammatory markers), and a close association with the macrophage activation syndrome. Recent investigations have highlighted dysregulation of the innate immune system as the critical pathogenic driver of s-JIA. Key innate immune mediators of s-JIA are the macrophage-derived cytokines interleukin-1 (IL-1) and IL-6. Increased understanding of the roles of IL-1 and IL-6 in the pathogenesis of s-JIA has led to major changes in therapeutic options. Until recent...
1786465564
Spin-dependent electron transport in two-dimensional waveguides of arbitrary geometry
Phys. Rev. B, 2008
An efficient computational approach to spin-dependent electron transport in two-dimensional waveguides with rather arbitrary geometry is presented, with necessary details about how to include the spin-orbit Rashba coupling and the so-called evanescent modes. The spin conductance properties are then examined for various waveguide geometries, with an emphasis placed on those waveguides for which the classical scattering is associated with chaotic and mixed phase space structures. Quantum conductance fluctuations, which is first observed in microwave waveguide experiments, are also studied, yielding an interesting observation called ``spin conductance echo.'' The results should be of general interest to studies in spintronics and to studies of quantum chaos in ...
1786465564
Seismic Performance of Nonductile Reinforced Concrete Frames with Masonry Infill Walls: I. Development of a Strut Model Enhanced by Finite Element Models
Earthquake Spectra, 2015
Reinforced concrete (RC) frames with masonry infill walls are prevalent in high-seismicity areas worldwide and have experienced significant damage in earthquakes. This paper proposes a finite element–enhanced strut model to simulate the in-plane seismic response of masonry-infilled RC frames through time-history analysis. The strut backbone defining the behavior of the wall is developed from the response extracted from the finite element (FE) model(s) for the infill and frame configuration of interest. These struts are combined with models capturing flexural and shear failures of beam-columns to simulate building response. The strut model takes advantage of the accuracy of the FE modeling results, yet is computationally efficient for use in nonlinear dynam...
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Steady quantum coherence in non-equilibrium environment
Annals of Physics, 2015
We study the steady state of a three-level system in contact with a non-equilibrium environment, which is composed of two independent heat baths at different temperatures. We derive a master equation to describe the non-equilibrium process of the system. For the three level systems with two dipole transitions, i.e., the Λ-type and V-type, we find that the interferences of two transitions in a non-equilibrium environment can give rise to non-vanishing steady quantum coherence, namely, there exist non-zero off-diagonal terms in the steady state density matrix (in the energy representation). Moreover, the non-vanishing off-diagonal terms increase with the temperature difference of the two heat baths. Such interferences of the transitions were usually omitted b...
1786465564
Etchant-free transfer of 2D nanostructures
Nanotechnology, 2017
The effective use of the van der Waals 2D materials relies on their successful transfer from the growth substrate onto other target substrates in the form of large films or flakes. In particular, it is important to transfer such atomically thin samples to various substrates with minimal sample damage and exposure to etchants and chemicals to realize their applications. Here we develop a universal transfer method that not only is free of reactive etchants, but also can maintain the film morphology intact with no tears and cracks. We show a variety of different 2D crystals and thin films with various sizes and thicknesses transferred from different substrates, i.e. metal-organic chemical vapor deposition-grown WSe2 coalesced thin films on sapphire and mechanic...
1786465564
Fixed-point iterative linear inverse solver with extended precision
Sci Rep, 2023
AbstractSolving linear systems, often accomplished by iterative algorithms, is a ubiquitous task in science and engineering. To accommodate the dynamic range and precision requirements, these iterative solvers are carried out on floating-point processing units, which are not efficient in handling large-scale matrix multiplications and inversions. Low-precision, fixed-point digital or analog processors consume only a fraction of the energy per operation than their floating-point counterparts, yet their current usages exclude iterative solvers due to the cumulative computational errors arising from fixed-point arithmetic. In this work, we show that for a simple iterative algorithm, such as Richardson iteration, using a fixed-po...
1786465564
Comparison of early injury to liver endoplasmic reticulum by halomethanes, hexachloroethane, benzene, toluene, bromobenzene, ethionine, thioacetamide and dimethylnitrosamine
Biochemical Pharmacology, 1972
Abstract This study compares the effects in vivo of CH2Cl2, CH2Br2, CHCl3, CH2I2, CHBr3, CCl4, CHI3, CBr4, CI4, C2Cl6, C2HCl5, C6H6, C7H8, C6H5Br, ethionine, thioaeetamide and dimethylnitrosamine on the functions and composition of liver endoplasmic reticulum 2 hr after poisoning. Within the halomethane series, the effects on lipid diene conjugate content, oxidative demethylase, 14C-glycine incorporation into protein and glucose 6-phosphatase of liver microsomes and cell sap RNA content, increase with decreasing effective negative charge on the halogen atoms (ϵ), an indicator of increasing halomethane free radical reactivity (cf.B. P. Dailey, J. chem. Phys.33, 1641,1960). Peak toxic effect is reached following CCl4 and CHI3. Glycine incorporation into prote...
1786465564
Vascular remodeling in atherosclerotic coronary arteries is affected by plaque composition
Coronary Artery Disease, 2001
Narrowing of lumen in atherosclerotic lesions is determined not solely by accumulation of plaque but also by constrictive or expansive vascular remodeling. Underlying mechanisms and determinants of these bidirectional processes are not known.To elucidate the response of vascular remodeling to progressive atherosclerosis by analyzing its potential association with composition of plaque.Seventy patients with 77 de-novo coronary artery lesions underwent intravascular ultrasound imaging before coronary intervention. Target lesions were defined as soft, fibrous/mixed, and calcified plaques. Quantitative measurements of area of lumen (A(L)), total area of vessel (A(TV)) and area of plaque (A(P) = A(TV)-A(L)) were performed at the lesion site and at the proximal an...
1786465563
Target market selection and marketing effort under uncertainty: The selective newsvendor
European Journal of Operational Research, 2008
We consider a firm that markets, procures, and delivers a good with a single selling season in a number of different markets. The price for the good is market-dependent, and each market has an associated demand distribution, with parameters that depend on the amount of marketing effort applied. Given long procurement lead-times, the firm must decide which markets it will serve prior to procuring the good. We develop a profit maximizing model to address the firm’s integrated market selection, marketing effort, and procurement decisions. The model implicitly accounts for inventory pooling across markets, which reduces safety stock costs but increases model complexity. The resulting model is a nonlinear integer optimization problem, for which we develop speci...
1786465563
The Concave Face of Decorin Mediates Reversible Dimerization and Collagen Binding
Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2013
Decorin, the prototypical small leucine-rich proteoglycan, binds to collagen and thereby regulates collagen assembly into fibrils. The crystal structure of the decorin core protein revealed a tight dimer formed by the association of two monomers via their concave faces (Scott, P. G., McEwan, P. A., Dodd, C. M., Bergmann, E. M., Bishop, P. N., and Bella, J. (2004) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 101, 15633-15638). Whether decorin binds collagen as a dimer has been controversial. Using analytical ultracentrifugation, we determined a dissociation constant of 1.37 ± 0.30 μm for the mouse decorin dimer. Dimerization could be abolished by engineering glycosylation sites into the dimer interface; other interface mutants remained dimeric. The monomeric mutants were ...
1786465563
CaPiTo: protocol stacks for services
Form. Asp. Comput., 2011
CaPiTo allows the modelling of service-oriented applications using process algebras at three levels of abstraction. The abstract level focuses on the key functionality of the services; the plug-in level shows how to obtain security using standardised protocol stacks; finally, the concrete level allows to consider how security is obtained using asymmetric and symmetric cryptographic primitives. The CaPiTo approach therefore caters for a variety of developers that need to cooperate on designing and implementing service-oriented applications. We show how to formally analyse CaPiTo specifications for ensuring the absence of security flaws. The method used is based on static analysis of the corresponding LySa specifications. We illustrate the development on two i...
1786465563
Bio-augmentation by nitrification with return sludge
Water Research, 2003
Bio-augmentation can be used to obtain nitrification in activated sludge processes that operate at sub-optimal solid retention times. In this study, we evaluated the potential of augmenting the endogenous nitrifying bacteria, by implementing a nitrification reactor in the sludge return line. This reactor can be fed with an internal N-rich flow (e.g. effluent from the sludge treatment) or with an external ammonium source. A mathematical model based on ASM1 was developed and used to evaluate the potential of this technique. The bio-augmentation studied here aimed to enhance the nitrification process of highly loaded activated sludge systems. A calibrated simulation model of a high loaded wastewater treatment plant in The Netherlands was used for this study. A ...
1786465563
Saccharide-mediated transformation of Ce during the formation of manganese (hydr)oxide
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2020
Abstract Ce anomaly is an important indicator for many geochemical processes. Although the role of strong ligand such as siderophore desferrioxamine B (DFOB) in facilitating negative Ce anomaly formation on Mn (hydr)oxide has been well studied, the effect of ubiquitous weak ligands such as polysaccharides on the mobility of Ce have not been considered. Here, we investigated the effects of polysaccharides with different molecular weights on Mn (hydr)oxide formation as well as the distribution coefficients of rare-earth elements (REEs) at the solid–liquid interface. In coprecipitation experiments, REEs distribution coefficients between Mn (hydr)oxide and the solution showed a negative Ce anomaly during coprecipitation of Mn in the presence of dextran with mo...
1786465563
Localization Strategies for Multiple Point-Like Radar Targets
IEEE Trans. Signal Process., 2012
In this correspondence, we focus on the design and the analysis of schemes aimed at estimating the position of multiple point-like targets that fall among three adjacent samples of the matched filter output (typically present in the processing chain of a radar). To this end, we exploit spillover of targets' energy to adjacent range cells. The number of targets (and the corresponding Doppler frequency shifts) is assumed to be known. Moreover, we suppose that received useful signals can be modeled in terms of vectors known up to deterministic parameters and that they are embedded in correlated Gaussian noise with unknown covariance matrix. For estimation purposes we assume that a set of secondary data, free of signal components, but sharing the same covariance...
1786465563
Ambulatory surface electromyography with accelerometry for evaluating daily motor fluctuations in Parkinson’s disease
Clinical Neurophysiology, 2021
To evaluate motor fluctuations in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) using a small-sized wearable device for surface electromyography (EMG) with accelerometry (ACC) for 24 hours. Seven PD patients with medication were measured once, and nine patients with directional deep brain stimulation (dDBS) twice: before and after the dDBS reprogramming. EMG and ACC parameters were compared with clinical rating scores and patients’ home diaries. The combination of EMG and ACC parameters (first principal component PC1) correlated significantly with patient’s condition as quantified by the motor score of Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale and it changed significantly with dDBS reprogramming in line with decreased PD symptoms. Monitoring data de...
1786465563
Reverse design of microstructure and application effectiveness for semi-solid processing of aluminum alloy
Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China, 2010
Abstract The hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy billet with non-dendrite was reheated to meet the needs of the semi-solid thixoforming microstructure by four kinds of reheating power, achieving the same final temperature of 851 K. Subsequently, under the same condition of thixoforming, the microstructure, surface hardness and tensile properties were observed. Afterwards, quantitative analysis was made for the microstructures of the reheated semi-solid of billet and the thixoforming parts. The results show that when the induction reheating power is 90 kW, the average grain size of the semi-solid billet is the minimum, the microstructures of the thixoforming samples also are the finest, and the mechanical properties of the relevant thixoforming samples are the best. Fur...
1786465563
Expression and localization of protein kinase C θ isoform in mouse testis
Life Sciences, 1999
Protein kinase C (PKC) is encoded by a complex of a gene family, and its multiple isoforms are expressed in various mammalian tissues. The objective of this study was to investigate the expression and localization of a PKC theta isoform in mouse testis. PKC theta displays the highest homology to PKC delta, lacks the Ca2+-binding C2 domain and, thus, belongs to the subfamily of Ca2+-independent PKC enzymes which also includes the delta, epsilon, zeta and eta isoforms. We analyzed the PKC theta mRNA and protein by Northern blotting, in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemistry. In testes of normal mice, signals of PKC theta isoform expression were detected specifically in the interstitial cells of testes. The expression of PKC theta isoform was also detecte...
1786465563
Atmospheric neutrinos as probes of neutrino-matter interactions
Phys. Rev. D, 2004
Neutrino oscillation experiments provide a unique tool for probing neutrino-matter interactions, especially those involving the tau neutrino. We describe the sensitivity of the present atmospheric neutrino data to these interactions in the framework of a three-flavor analysis. Compared to the two-flavor ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\tau}}$ analyses, we find qualitatively new features, in particular, that large nonstandard interactions, comparable in strength to those in the Standard Model, can be consistent with the data. The existence of such interactions could imply a smaller value of the neutrino mixing angle and larger value of the mass-squared splitting than in the case of standard interactions only...
1786465563
Marriage or family therapy
The American Journal of Family Therapy, 1984
Abstract This paper reviews the differences between family therapy and marriage counseling in terms of professional organization, theory and practice. Why the field of therapy has not been influenced by the focus on marriage is examined. The dyad does not seem to be a conceptual unit on which theory can be built. Considering the wider social network, the family therapist views the marital dyad as one of a variety of subgroups within the family network. Training in marriage therapy does not appear to be adequate for doing therapy with families. The admission of the categories of marriage and family therapists to the existing clinical professions multiplies the problems of training and credentializa-tion in the field. The goal of the therapy field should be mo...
1786465563
Intravenous Chemoreduction or Intra-arterial Chemotherapy for Cavitary Retinoblastoma
Arch Ophthalmol, 2012
ObjectiveTo assess the long-term results of chemotherapy for cavitary retinoblastoma.MethodsRetrospective, nonrandomized, interventional case series of 26 cavitary retinoblastomas in 25 eyes of 24 patients. Retinoblastomas were treated with intravenous chemoreduction and/or intra-arterial chemotherapy. Main outcome measures included tumor control, globe salvage, and metastasis.ResultsOf 24 patients with cavitary retinoblastoma, the mean age at diagnosis was 16 months. The mean number of cavitary tumors per eye was 1 (median, 1; range, 1-2), with a mean tumor basal diameter of 13 (median, 13; range, 7-24) mm and mean tumor thickness of 7 (median, 6; range, 3-17) mm. The mean number of cavities per tumor was 2 (median, 2; range, 1-5)...
1786465563
Learning User Real-Time Intent for Optimal Dynamic Web Page Transformation
Information Systems Research, 2015
Many e-commerce websites struggle to turn visitors into real buyers. Understanding online users’ real-time intent and dynamic shopping cart choices may have important implications in this realm. This study presents an individual-level, dynamic model with concurrent optimal page adaptation that learns users’ real-time, unobserved intent from their online cart choices, then immediately performs optimal Web page adaptation to enhance the conversion of users into buyers. To suggest optimal strategies for concurrent page adaptation, the model analyzes each individual user’s browsing behavior, tests the effectiveness of different marketing and Web stimuli, as well as comparison shopping activities at other sites, and performs optimal Web page transformation....
1786465563
Potential population and assemblage influences of non‐native trout on native nongame fish in Nebraska headwater streams
Ecology of Freshwater Fish, 2014
Non-native trout are currently stocked to support recreational fisheries in headwater streams throughout Nebraska. The influence of non-native trout introductions on native fish populations and their role in structuring fish assemblages in these systems is unknown. The objectives of this study were to determine (i) if the size structure or relative abundance of native fish differs in the presence and absence of non-native trout, (ii) if native fish-assemblage structure differs in the presence and absence of non-native trout and (iii) if native fish-assemblage structure differs across a gradient in abundances of non-native trout. Longnose dace Rhinichthys cataractae were larger in the presence of brown trout Salmo trutta and smaller in the presence of rainbow...
1786465562
Colloidal paradigm in supercapattery electrode systems
Nanotechnology, 2017
Among decades of development, electrochemical energy storage systems are now sorely in need of a new design paradigm at the nano size and ion level to satisfy the higher energy and power demands. In this review paper, we introduce a new colloidal electrode paradigm for supercapattery that integrates multiple-scale forms of matter, i.e. ion clusters, colloidal ions, and nanosized materials, into one colloid system, coupled with multiple interactions, i.e. electrostatic, van der Waals forces, and chemical bonding, thus leading to the formation of many redox reactive centers. This colloidal electrode not only keeps the original ionic nature in colloidal materials, but also creates a new attribute of high electroactivity. Colloidal supercapattery is a perfect ap...
1786465562
Efficacy of Preplant Corn and Soybean Herbicides on Star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum) in No-Till Crop Production
Weed technol., 2016
Field research was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of preplant herbicides commonly used in no-till corn and soybean production and to determine the efficacy of three application timings in the spring for star-of-Bethlehem bulb management. A single, preplant application of herbicide treatments that included flumioxazin, sulfentrazone, or paraquat resulted in 91 to 97% control of star-of-Bethlehem at 14 d after treatment (DAT). Star-of-Bethlehem control from atrazine and metribuzin was moderate (70 to 75%) at the Marion location but poor (< 20%) at Murphysboro. Regardless of the initial foliar control at 14 DAT from treatments included in the corn and soybean herbicide screen, only applications containing paraquat resulted in extensive control (75 to 86%...
1786465562
Strecker Stent as a Bailout Device Following Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty
J Interven Cardiology, 1992
The Strecker stent is a balloon-mounted flexible endoprothesis of knitted tantalum wires, successfully used in peripheral arteries. In our practice stents are only implanted as a bailout device after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). In 112/5,000 consecutive patients (2.2%), a dissection could not be sealed with prolonged balloon inflations and resulted in total (28%) or subtotal occlusion. A total of 127 stents (71 Schatz–Palmaz, 56 Strecker) had to be implanted. All patients were pretreated with aspirin p.o. and 20,000 U heparin IV. Before stent implantation, they received 500 mg intracoronary aspirin, 5,000 U heparin, and 500 mL Dextrane; and after implant, between 1,500 and 2,300 U/hour heparin IV overlapping a 3-month treatment wi...
1786465562
Development of a three-echelon SC model to optimize coordination costs
European Journal of Operational Research, 2008
The purpose of this study is to suggest a conceptual framework for aligning the strategic issues and the structural issues of supply chain management, and also to disclose the effect of E-business application on such an alignment. The number of suppliers, number of tiers, the level of SC integration, order penetration point, lead time, and safety stock are defined as supply chain structural issues, and the characteristics of traded products and buyer–supplier relationship are set as key strategic issues for efficient construction of supply chain structure. E-business application is designed as a moderate variable for the alignment between the strategic issues and the structural issues of supply chain management. Such effort suggests a conceptual framework ...
1786465562
Combined κ-carbide precipitation and recovery enables ultra-high strength and ductility in light-weight steels
Materials Science and Engineering: A, 2020
Light-weight high-manganese steels with high aluminum and carbon contents are known to possess high age-hardening potential due to the precipitation of nano-sized κ-carbides. Although in recrystallized material the precipitation of the κ-phase has been widely researched, the influence of pre-deformation/deformation microstructure on the formation of κ-carbides is still unknown. The present study aims at gaining an increased understanding of the underlying mechanisms (and their interplay) active during annealing after pre-deformation, i.e. concurrent strengthening by precipitation of κ-carbides and softening by recovery/recrystallization. Therefore, a Fe-29.8Mn-7.65Al-1.11C steel was age-hardened in deformed/cold-rolled as well as in recrystallized condit...
1786465562
Advanced engineered nanoparticulate platforms to address key biological barriers for delivering chemotherapeutic agents to target sites
Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 2020
The widespread development of nanocarriers to deliver chemotherapeutics to specific tumor sites has been motivated by the lack of selective targeting during chemotherapy inducing serious side effects and low therapeutic efficacy. The utmost challenge in targeted cancer therapies is the ineffective drug delivery system, in which the drug-loaded nanocarriers are hindered by multiple complex biological barriers that compromise the therapeutic efficacy. Despite considerable progress engineering novel nanoplatforms for the delivery of chemotherapeutics, there has been limited success in a clinical setting. In this review, we identify and analyze design strategies for improved therapeutic efficacy and unique properties of nanoplatforms, including liposomes, polyme...
1786465562
Evanescent-wave guiding of atoms in hollow optical fibers
Phys. Rev. A, 1996
An atom placed in a near-resonant laser field is either attracted to or repelled from regions of high intensity depending on the sign of the laser’s detuning from atomic resonance. We have demonstrated that the optical forces induced by laser light guided in a fiber may be used to reflect atoms from the inner wall of a hollow-core optical fiber in a recent work [1,2]. In that demonstration, light was coupled to the lowest-order grazing incidence mode [3] and the laser frequency was tuned to the red side, so that atoms were attracted to the high-intensity region at the center of the fiber. Atoms guided in this way undergo a series of lossless oscillations in the transverse plane and unconstrained motion along the axis. Atoms can also be guided by the evanes...
1786465562
Effects of Antidepressants on the Brain/Plasma Distribution of Corticosterone
Neuropsychopharmacol, 2006
It is well established that hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation, characterized by elevated circulating cortisol concentrations and impaired negative feedback inhibition, is associated with affective disorders. As normalization of the HPA axis function and mood-stabilizing effects occur simultaneously during antidepressant treatment, it is likely that these effects are either directly or indirectly dependent. Although data concerning the outward transport of glucocorticoids from the brain by P-glycoprotein (Pgp) are inconsistent, it has been hypothesized that antidepressants exert their clinical activity in parts by inhibiting Pgp, subsequently leading to enhanced brain glucocorticoid levels and the normalization of the HPA axis functi...
1786465562
A Zeolite-Based Cascade System to Produce Jet Fuel from Ethylene Oligomerization
Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 2022
Jet fuel production from ethylene oligomerization opens a sustainable pathway to clean sulfur-free fuel that is increasingly in demand due to the potential renewable origin of ethylene. The key to a viable heterogeneously catalyzed process is to improve the selectivity of the jet fuel while prolonging the catalyst lifetime. To this end, we have assessed and optimized a dual-bed cascade system based on a dimerization bed that is followed by an oligomerization bed using Ni supported on Y zeolite and ZSM-5 zeolite catalysts, respectively. Our optimization approach uses different catalyst acidities, temperatures, and bed configurations for determining the best yield–conversion relationship. Under optimized dual-bed conditions, we can produce 64 wt % of jet fue...
1786465562
Low-Energy Ar+ Implantation of Uhmw-Pe Fibers: Effect on Surface Energy, Chemistry, and Adhesion Characteristics
MRS Proc., 1991
AbstractUltra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) has a highly chain-extended and crystalline structure which is functionally inert and requires surface-modification before it can successfully operate as a reinforcement in polymer-matrix composites. Although plasma treatments are adequate for this purpose, recent work has shown that irradiation with low-energy inert gas ions can produce increases in interfacial shear strength (ISS), in epoxy matrices, which exceed those of commercial plasma treatments, and cause little degradation in tensile properties. Low energy ions are readily produced in high-current beams using gridded sources having moderate cost, and processing times may be a short as a few seconds. In this p...
1786465562
Growth of rutile TiO2nanorods in Ti and Cu ion sequentially implanted SiO2and the involved mechanisms
Nanotechnology, 2017
TiO2 in nanoscale exhibits unique physicochemical and optoelectronic properties and has attracted much more interest of the researchers. In this work, TiO2 nanostructures are synthesized in amorphous SiO2 slices by implanting Ti ions, or sequentially implanting Ti and Cu ions combined with annealing at high temperature. The morphology, structure, spatial distribution and optical properties of the formed nanostructures have been investigated in detail. Our results clearly show that the thermal growth of TiO2 nanostructures in SiO2 substrate is significantly enhanced by presence of post Cu ion implantation, which depends strongly on the applied Cu ion fluence, as well as the annealing atmosphere. Due to the formation of Cu2O in the substrate, rutile TiO2 nanor...
1786465562
Involvement of AT1 angiotensin receptors in the vasomodulatory effect of des-aspartate-angiotensin I in the rat renal vasculature
Peptides, 2008
Angiotensin II is known to act primarily on the angiotensin AT(1) receptors to mediate its physiological and pathological actions. Des-aspartate-angiotensin I (DAA-I) is a bioactive angiotensin peptide and have been shown to have contrasting vascular actions to angiotensin II. Previous work in this laboratory has demonstrated an overwhelming vasodepressor modulation on angiotensin II-induced vasoconstriction by DAA-I. The present study investigated the involvement of the AT(1) receptor in the actions of DAA-I on angiotensin II-induced vascular actions in the renal vasculature of normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY), spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The findings revealed that the angiotensin receptor in rat...
1786465562
Different effect of simvastatin and atorvastatin on key enzymes involved in VLDL synthesis and catabolism in high fat/cholesterol fed rabbits
British J Pharmacology, 1999
The effects of atorvastatin (3 mg kg(-1)) and simvastatin (3 mg kg(-1)) on hepatic enzyme activities involved in very low density lipoprotein metabolism were studied in coconut oil/cholesterol fed rabbits. Plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels increased 19 and 4 fold, respectively, after 7 weeks of feeding. Treatment with statins during the last 4 weeks of feeding abolished the progression of hypercholesterolaemia and reduced plasma triglyceride levels. 3-Hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl Coenzyme A reductase, acylcoenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase, phosphatidate phosphohydrolase and diacylglycerol acyltransferase activities were not affected by drug treatment. Accordingly, hepatic free cholesterol, cholesteryl ester and triglyceride content were not modifi...
1786465562
Correcting Varus Deformity
The Journal of Arthroplasty, 2007
We report our technique and the results of treating severe intra- and extra-articular varus deformity using posterior stabilized fixed-bearing implants. We used a technique of selective posteromedial release and reduction osteotomy of posteromedial tibial flare in 173 knees in 117 patients. Proximal tibial osteotomy was used to correct severe extra-articular deformity. Mean tibiofemoral varus of 22° preoperatively was corrected to 5.3° valgus postoperatively. A total of 86% knees were in 4° to 10° valgus postoperatively. Mean Knee Society score improved from 22.8 to 91.1, and function score from 22.8 to 72.1 at 2 to 9 years. Of 30 bone grafts for tibial defects, 28 were successfully incorporated. No patient reported significant instability. Three knees s...
1786465562
Outcome After Nitinol Stenting in the Superficial Femoral and Popliteal Artery in an Elderly Population
Annals of Vascular Surgery, 2011
To assess outcomes in an elderly and diseased population after stenting in the femoropopliteal segment and evaluate risk factors for poor prognosis.Retrospective study of femoropopliteal stents placed between March 2006 and January 2008. Patency was verified by duplex scanning. Risk factors associated with amputation or death and patency were analyzed using Cox regression.A total of 117 limbs in 112 patients were observed for a median of 18 months. Median age of the patients was 79 years; 68% were treated for critical limb ischemia and 85% had occlusive lesions. Mean lesion length was 15.4 cm (SD: 9.2) and mean stented length was 19.7 cm (standard deviation: 9.8). At 1 year, primary patency was 63%, primary-assisted patency was 67%, and secondary patency was...
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A Class of Luminescent Cyclometalated Alkynylgold(III) Complexes: Synthesis, Characterization, and Electrochemical, Photophysical, and Computational Studies of [Au(C∧N∧C)(C⋮CR)] (C∧N∧C = κ3C,N,C Bis-cyclometalated 2,6-Diphenylpyridyl)
J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2007
A new class of luminescent cyclometalated alkynylgold(III) complexes, [Au(RC=N(R')=CR)(CCR' ')], i.e., [Au(C=N=C)(C triple bond CR'')] (HC=N=CH = 2,6-diphenylpyridine) R' ' = C6H5 1, C6H4-Cl-p 2, C6H4-NO2-p 3, C6H4-OCH3-p 4, C6H4-NH2-p 5, C6H4-C6H13-p 6, C6H13 7, [Au(tBuC=N=CtBu)(C triple bond CC6H5)] 8 (HtBuC=N=CtBuH = 2,6-bis(4-tert-butylphenyl)pyridine), and [Au(C=NTol=C)(CCC6H4-C6H13-p)] 9 (HC=NTol=CH = 2,6-diphenyl-4-p-tolylpyridine), have been synthesized and characterized. The X-ray crystal structures of most of the complexes have also been determined. Electrochemical studies show that, in general, the first oxidation wave is an alkynyl ligand-centered oxidation, while the first reduction couple is ascribed to a ligand-centered reduction of the cyclom...
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Frequency Characteristics of Magnetostriction in Electrical Steel Related to the Structural Vibrations
IEEE Trans. Magn., 2012
The ac magnetostriction in electrical steel is commonly characterized in the time domain (e.g., the peak-to-peak, zero-to-peak amplitude) and also in the frequency domain (e.g., a harmonic analysis). However, due to the dynamical coupling of the test sample with the experimental setup, the characterization of the magnetostriction (especially the one in the frequency domain) can give the wrong result. This research focuses on an experimental frequency characterization of magnetostriction and gives the theoretical background of the test sample's dynamical coupling with the experimental setup. The discussed natural dynamics of the test sample from the point of view of the different boundary conditions that can be used at the experiment gives a clear picture of ...
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Treatment of Central Deafferentation and Trigeminal Neuropathic Pain by Motor Cortex Stimulation: Report of a Series of 20 Patients
J Neurol Surg A Cent Eur Neurosurg, 2015
Motor cortex stimulation (MCS) is an alternative treatment modality for central neuropathic pain, if conservative treatment failed. Study aim was outcome assessment after MCS.This study is a retrospective case series review of patients who had undergone MCS for central pain (n = 8), deafferentation pain (n = 3) and neuropathic trigeminal pain (n = 9) between April 2001 and May 2011. In all patients, four contact-paddle electrodes were placed in the epidural space overlying the motor cortex via burr hole trepanation under local anesthesia. The follow-up period was 6 months to 6 years. Pain control was assessed by the visual analog scale (VAS).A total of 22 patients (11 men, 11 women) were treated; after trial stimulation two male patients were excluded for in...
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Electrical Injuries in Animals
Vet Pathol, 2016
Electrical injuries in animals occur most often accidentally. They comprise contact to various forms of currents, including alternating, rotary, or direct currents. Depending on various parameters of the current (including the type of circuit, voltage, current and duration of exposure) and conditions of the animal (such as wet or dry hair coat and pathway of current through the body), lesions may be absent or may include early or localized development of rigor mortis, signs of acute circulatory failure, or severe thermoelectrical burns. Such burns may present as external current marks, singed hair or feathers, metallization of the skin, or occasionally internal electroporation injury resulting in muscle necrosis, hemolysis, vascular damage with thrombosis, i...
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Reducing time to treatment of bacterial sexually transmitted infections in an HIV cohort
BMJ Open Qual, 2020
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are known to increase the risk of transmission of HIV and care of sexual health needs should form part of routine HIV care. Delayed treatment of STIs can lead to complications and avoidable onward transmission. Management of acute STIs in UK specialist sexual health services usually involves a multidisciplinary approach to ensure patient recall, antimicrobial treatment and partner notification. While this works well in dedicated sexual health clinics, we found this was less optimal in our hospital-based HIV care unit. We describe a quality improvement project to improve interdisciplinary pathways by using electronic shared worklists that reduced time to treatment for chlamydia and gonorrhoea infections. Use of electroni...
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A non-chromatographic protein purification strategy using Src 3 homology domains as generalized capture domains
Journal of Biotechnology, 2016
Protein purification using inverse phase transition of elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) domains is a useful alternative to chromatography. Genetic fusions of ELP domains to various proteins have the ability to reversibly transition between soluble monomers and micron-sized aggregates and this has been used to selectively purify many ELP fusions. Affinity domains can enhance this technology by using specific protein binding domains to enable ELP mediated affinity capture (EMAC) of proteins of interest (POI) that have been fused to corresponding affinity ligands. In this paper, we highlight the use of Src homology 3 (SH3) domains and corresponding peptide ligands in EMAC that have differential binding affinities towards SH3 for efficient capture and elution of p...
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Tailor-made pH-sensitive polyacrylic acid functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles for efficient and controlled delivery of anti-cancer drug Etoposide
Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy, 2018
A multifaceted therapeutic platform has been proposed for controlled delivery of Etoposide (ETS) leading to a synergistic advantage of maximum therapeutic efficacy and diminished toxicity. A state of the art pH responsive nanoparticles (NPs) MSNs-PAA consisting of mesoporous silica nanoparticles core and polymeric shell layers, were developed for controlled release of model anti-cancer drug ETS. Graft onto strategy was employed and amination served as an interim step, laying a vital foundation for functionalization of the MSN core with hydrophilic and pH responsive polyacrylic acid (PAA). MCM-41-PAA were investigated as carriers for loading and regulated release of ETS at different pH for the first time. The PAA-MSNs contained 20.19% grafted PAA as exhibited...
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Assessment of improvement of the IRI model over Ethiopia for the modeling of the variability of TEC during the period 2013–2016
Advances in Space Research, 2019
This paper discusses the monthly and seasonal variation of the total electron content (TEC) and the improvement of performance of the IRI model in estimating TEC over Ethiopia during the solar maximum (2013–2016) phase employing as reference the GPS derived TEC data inferred from four GPS receivers installed in different regions of Ethiopia; Assosa (geog 10.05°N, 34.55°E, Geom. 7.01°N), Ambo (8.97°N, 37.86°E, Geom. 5.42°N), Nazret (8.57°N, 39.29°E, Geom. 4.81°N) and Arba Minch (6.06°N, 37.56°E, Geom. 2.62°N). The results reveal that, in the years 2013–2016, the highest peak GPS-derived diurnal VTEC is observed in the March equinox in 2015 over Arba Minch station. Moreover, both the arithmetic mean GPS-derived and modelled VTEC values, general...
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A physiological connection between tmRNA and peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase functions in Escherichia coli
Nucleic Acids Research, 2004
The bacterial ssrA gene codes for a dual function RNA, tmRNA, which possesses tRNA-like and mRNA-like regions. The tmRNA appends an oligopeptide tag to the polypeptide on the P-site tRNA by a trans-translation process that rescues ribosomes stalled on the mRNAs and targets the aberrant protein for degradation. In cells, processing of the stalled ribosomes is also pioneered by drop-off of peptidyl-tRNAs. The ester bond linking the peptide to tRNA is hydrolyzed by peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase (Pth), an essential enzyme, which releases the tRNA and the aberrant peptide. As the trans-translation mechanism utilizes the peptidyl-transferase activity of the stalled ribosomes to free the tRNA (as opposed to peptidyl-tRNA drop-off), the need for Pth to recycle such tRNAs ...
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An overview of flux braiding experiments
Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A., 2015
Parker has hypothesised that, in a perfectly ideal environment, complex photospheric motions acting on a continuous magnetic field will result in the formation of tangential discontinuities corresponding to singular currents. We review direct numerical simulations of the problem and find the evidence points to a tendency for thin but finite thickness current layers to form, with thickness exponentially decreasing in time. Given a finite resistivity these layers will eventually become important and cause the dynamical process of energy release. Accordingly, a body of work focusses on evolution under continual boundary driving. The coronal volume evolves into a highly dynamic but statistically steady state where quantities have a temporally and spatially inter...
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The familial basis of facial emotion recognition deficits in adolescents with conduct disorder and their unaffected relatives
Psychol. Med., 2015
Background There is accumulating evidence of impairments in facial emotion recognition in adolescents with conduct disorder (CD). However, the majority of studies in this area have only been able to demonstrate an association, rather than a causal link, between emotion recognition deficits and CD. To move closer towards understanding the causal pathways linking emotion recognition problems with CD, we studied emotion recognition in the unaffected first-degree relatives of CD probands, as well as those with a diagnosis of CD. Method Using a family-based design, we investigated facial emotion recognition in probands with CD ( n = 43), their unaffected relatives ( n = 21), and healthy controls ( n = 38). We used the Emotion Hexagon task, an alternative forced-c...
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Integration of Various Approaches towards the Functions of Code-Switching between Punjabi, Urdu and English
IJL, 2011
This paper aims at exploring the functions of code-switching between Punjabi, Urdu and English among multilingual Punjabi-Pakistanis staying in London through an integration of various approaches. The purpose in simultaneously applying a number of different approaches, under the umbrella term of macro- and micro-sociolinguistic perspectives, is to understand the multidimensional nature of these functions. The naturally occurring data used in this research was collected by an ethnographic-case-study approach and then analysed qualitatively according to various available approaches. This paper takes into consideration the constituents of multilingualism – the social function, role, speech community, status and norms of social usage of the languages and also ...
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Red Wine Polyphenols Inhibit Proliferation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells and Downregulate Expression of Cyclin A Gene
Circulation, 2000
Background —Red wine polyphenols have been shown to contribute to the “French paradox” phenomenon, which consists of lower morbidity and mortality from coronary heart disease in the French population. Although vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation plays an important role in the progression of atherosclerotic lesions, the effects of red wine polyphenols on VSMC proliferation have not been elucidated. Methods and Results —We extracted the total polyphenolic fraction from red wine (RW-PF) by column chromatography. Treatment with RW-PF showed a potent inhibitory effect on the proliferation and DNA synthesis of cultured rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMCs). In contrast, the inhibitory effect of RW-PF on the proliferation of bovine carotid en...
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An explicit structure‐preserving numerical scheme for EPDiff
Computer Graphics Forum, 2018
Abstract We present a new structure‐preserving numerical scheme for solving the Euler‐Poincaré Differential (EPDiff) equation on arbitrary triangle meshes. Unlike existing techniques, our method solves the difficult non‐linear EPDiff equation by constructing energy preserving, yet fully explicit, update rules. Our approach uses standard differential operators on triangle meshes, allowing for a simple and efficient implementation. Key to the structure‐preserving features that our method exhibits is a novel numerical splitting scheme. Namely, we break the integration into three steps which rely on linear solves with a fixed sparse matrix that is independent of the simulation and thus can be pre‐factored. We test our method in the context of simulati...
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Combined Experimental and Computational Investigations of Rhodium- and Ruthenium-Catalyzed C–H Functionalization of Pyrazoles with Alkynes
J. Org. Chem., 2014
Detailed experimental and computational studies are reported on the mechanism of the coupling of alkynes with 3-arylpyrazoles at [Rh(MeCN)3Cp*][PF6]2 and [RuCl2(p-cymene)]2 catalysts. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate a mechanism involving sequential N–H and C–H bond activation, HOAc/alkyne exchange, migratory insertion, and C–N reductive coupling. For rhodium, C–H bond activation is a two-step process comprising κ2–κ1 displacement of acetate to give an agostic intermediate which then undergoes C–H bond cleavage via proton transfer to acetate. For the reaction of 3-phenyl-5-methylpyrazole with 4-octyne kH/kD = 2.7 ± 0.5 indicating that C–H bond cleavage is rate limiting in this case. However, H/D exchange studies, both wi...
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Aminotransferase and glutamate dehydrogenase activities in lactobacilli and streptococci
Brazilian Journal of Microbiology, 2016
Aminotransferases and glutamate dehydrogenase are two main types of enzymes involved in the initial steps of amino acid catabolism, which plays a key role in the cheese flavor development. In the present work, glutamate dehydrogenase and aminotransferase activities were screened in twenty one strains of lactic acid bacteria of dairy interest, either cheese-isolated or commercial starters, including fifteen mesophilic lactobacilli, four thermophilic lactobacilli, and two streptococci. The strains of Streptococcus thermophilus showed the highest glutamate dehydrogenase activity, which was significantly elevated compared with the lactobacilli. Aspartate aminotransferase prevailed in most strains tested, while the levels and specificity of other aminotransferase...
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Epidemiology and management of atrial fibrillation in medical and noncardiac surgical adult intensive care unit patients
Journal of Critical Care, 2012
The aim of the study was to describe the epidemiology and management of atrial fibrillation (AF) in noncardiac surgery critically ill patients in a retrospective, observational study at 3 mixed medical-surgical, university-affiliated intensive care units (ICUs).Consecutive patients admitted during a 1-year period with any documentation of AF during ICU stay were identified. Demographic data, risk factors, interventions, and outcomes were collected from the medical record.A total of 3081 patients were admitted during the 1-year study period in which 348 consecutive patients (10.5%) had documented AF. Atrial fibrillation was of new onset in 139 patients (4.5%) and preexisting in 186 patients (6.0%). Hemodynamic instability developed in 37% and 10% of patients ...
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A variables sampling plan based on Cpmk for product acceptance determination
European Journal of Operational Research, 2008
Process capability indices are useful management tools, particularly in the manufacturing industry, which provide common quantitative measures on manufacturing capability and production quality. Most supplier certification manuals include a discussion of process capability analysis and describe the recommended procedure for computing a process capability index. Acceptance sampling plans have been one of the most practical tools used in classical quality control applications. It provides both vendors and buyers to reserve their own rights by compromising on a rule to judge a batch of products. Both sides may set their own safeguard line to protect their benefits. Two kinds of risks are balanced using a well-designed sampling plan. In this paper, we introduce ...
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Translational value of liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics forin vitro–in vivoextrapolation of drug metabolism and transport and considerations in selecting appropriate techniques
Expert Opinion on Drug Metabolism & Toxicology, 2015
Drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters play an important role in drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion and, consequently, they influence drug efficacy and toxicity. Quantification of drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters in various tissues is therefore essential for comprehensive elucidation of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion. Recent advances in liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) have improved the quantification of pharmacologically relevant proteins.This report presents an overview of mass spectrometry-based methods currently used for the quantification of drug-metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters, mainly focusing on applications and cost associated with various qua...
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Adopting Agroforestry
Journal of Sustainable Forestry, 2000
Abstract This study was conducted in rural central and northern Malawi to (1) identify factors limiting/enhancing agroforestry adoption and (2) assess the impact of cultural differences on the adoption and use of agroforestry systems. The study involved interviewing representatives of a large number households concentrated in four separate study areas. The study used the grounded theory method of sociology, which relies on largely qualitative data and inductive reasoning. Nine-tenths of the farmers in the study were resource poor with little or no formal education. Two-thirds of the farmers in the study were not familiar with agroforestry systems such as alley cropping. The level of interest in adopting agroforestry systems, which did not include the applica...
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Stability of bedforms in a tidal environment
Marine Geology, 1982
Large-scale bedforms developed in a tide-dominated salt estuary near Sapelo Island, Georgia, are morphologically separated into two distinct groups. Megaripples include bedforms 4 to 15 m in wavelength and 10 to 75 cm in height. Sand waves are 15 to 45 m in wavelength and 85 to 130 cm in height and can be further subdivided into megarippled forms and smooth-crested forms. Ebb-oriented geometry of large-scale bedforms is maintained through both ebb and flood portions of the tidal cycle. Bedforms are in equilibrium with peak tidal flow, and ebb orientation is the direct result of large pressure gradients and related bed-shear values that develop during the ebb. Bedform heights can be statistically related to flow power, shear velocity, water depth and sediment...
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Selection, acquisition, and allocation of manufacturing technology in a multi-period environment
European Journal of Operational Research, 2008
This paper addresses a multi-period investment problem for selection, acquisition, and allocation of alternative technology choices to meet the demand of a number of product families over a long-range planning horizon. The problem captures the essential features of many existing models for analyzing long-term trade-offs between dedicated and flexible technologies in the chemical, manufacturing, telecommunications, and service industries. We show that the general problem is NP -hard and present a solution strategy based upon perturbing the linear programming (LP) relaxation solution of a multi-period mixed-integer linear programming formulation for the problem. The key feature of the proposed strategy is a temporal capacity shifting heuristic, whereby capacit...
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Effect of Slag Volume on the Characteristics of Post-combustion in a Test Decarburization Furnace
Tetsu-to-Hagane, 1990
Effects of flux and slag volume on the characteristics of post-combustion were studied by using a 10 t ladle type test furnace with pre-treated molten pig iron. Three kinds of flux were used : CaO, CaO-MgO and SiO2, and amount of flux addition was varied between 3 to 15 kg/t.Followings are brief results.In the case that the cavity depth by O2 jet was lower than 150 mm deep, the post-combustion ratio decreased in every flux addition as compared with no flux addition. Especially, SiO2 flux addition caused the lowest post-combustion ratio.From the results of heat balance, it was made clear that the heat efficiency for heating the bath decresed sharply in SiO2 flux adding heat.The reason is considered to be that, in SiO2 flux adding heat, slag foaming was very h...
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Missed hepatitis B birth dose vaccine is a risk factor for incomplete vaccination at 18 and 24 months
Journal of Infection, 2019
Summary Objectives To determine whether missing the HepB birth dose vaccine is a risk factor for incomplete vaccination later in childhood. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of infants born over one year at an academic medical center. The “not vaccinated at birth” group consisted of all infants who did not receive the HepB birth dose vaccine by seven days of life, while the “vaccinated at birth” group included infants who did receive the birth dose. The primary outcome was vaccination status at 18 months of age, determined from the state vaccination registry. Results Infants “not vaccinated at birth” had lower vaccination rates. At 18 months, 44% of the “vaccinated at birth” group received all recommended vaccines, compared with 2...
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Questing behaviour of Ixodes ricinus ticks (Acari: Ixodidae)
Exp Appl Acarol, 1997
The vertical distribution in the vegetation of questing Ixodes ricinus ticks was investigated in two different vegetation types (‘high’ and ‘low’ vegetation) at two localities in south-central Sweden during 1992-1993 (Toro) and 1995 (Bogesund). Significant correlations were found between the vertical distribution of immature ticks and the height of the vegetation. The greatest mean availabilities of the larvae and nymphs in low vegetation were in the intervals 0-9 and 30-39 cm, respectively. The larval numbers were greatest close to the ground (0-29 cm) in both high and low vegetation. The larval : nymphal ratio, at ground level at localities free of ground vegetation, varied between 8 : 1 and 32 : 1. In high vegetation, the greatest mean numbers of ...
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Three Sets of Indicators on Education: Education at a Glance (OECD), Key Data on Education (European Union), The State of Education (French Ministry of Education). Elements of Comparison and Analysis
European Educational Research Journal, 2004
The purpose of this paper is to examine the presentation of three sets of indicators on education published by the OECD (Education at a Glance), the European Union (Key Data on Education) and the French Ministry of Education (The State of Education) in recent years. In the first part, we shall describe the way Education at a Glance and Key Data on Education – both dealing with international comparison and The State of Education – mostly presented from a national perspective present their data (sources and methodology), formulate their concerns and present their results. In the second part, we shall analyse the way documents position themselves as references in their field. In the third part, we shall point out the main changes that occurred in the three ...
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Visible to mid-infrared supercontinuum generated in novel GeS2–Ga2S3–CsI step-index fibre
Journal of Modern Optics, 2019
ABSTRACTIn this work, two kinds of GeS2–Ga2S3–CsI chalcogenide glasses had been fabricated in conventional meltquenching method, and these glasses express excellent transmittance (0.52–10.5 µm), low refractive index difference, high Raman gain and good thermal stability against crystallization. We designed a highly nonlinear step-index fibre consisting of a 72GeS2–18Ga2S3–10CsI core and a 73GeS2–15Ga2S3–12CsI cladding with the zero dispersion wavelength in near-infrared (
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Inventory and investment in setup and quality operations under Return On Investment maximization
European Journal of Operational Research, 2008
In this paper, we construct and analyze a Return On Investment (ROI) maximization model for inventory and capital investment in setup and quality operations under an investment budget constraint. Specifically, we show how such an ROI maximization model can be formulated and derive analytical results such as the conditions under which the inventory is reduced and for the determination of the unique global optimal solution. In addition, by applying the Reformulation-Linearization Technique (RLT), we show via numerical examples how this nonconvex optimization model can be solved effectively and how RLT may produce superior results to those from the conventional Cut Across the Board Rule (CABR). Various managerial insights are provided throughout the paper. For ...
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Activation of the intrinsic cell death pathway, increased apoptosis and modulation of astrocytes in the cerebellum of diabetic rats
Neurobiology of Disease, 2006
Poorly controlled diabetes mellitus results in structural and functional changes in many brain regions. We demonstrate that in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats cell death is increased and proliferation decreased in the cerebellum, indicating overall cell loss. Levels of both the proform and cleaved forms of caspases 3, 6 and 9 are increased, with no change in caspases 7, 8 or 12. Colocalization of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and cleaved caspase 3 and GFAP in TUNEL-positive cells increased in diabetic rats. Changes in GFAP levels paralleled modifications in proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), increasing at 1 week of diabetes and decreasing thereafter, and proliferating GFAP-positive cells were decreased in the cerebellum of diabetic rats...
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Parametric study on coupling loss in subsize ITER Nb/sub 3/Sn cabled specimen
IEEE Trans. Magn., 1996
The cable in conduit conductors for the various ITER coils are required to function under pulse conditions and fields up to 13 T. A parametric study, restricted to a limited variation of the reference cable lay out, is carried out to clarify the quantitative impact of various cable parameters on the coupling loss and to find realistic values for the coupling loss time constants to be used in ac loss computations. The investigations cover ac coupling loss measurements on jacketed sub- and full size conductors with variations in type of cabling, twist pitch, void fraction, and thickness of the chromium coating. The results are summarised and conclusions regarding the ITER cable design are presented. Scaling laws for coupling loss versus void fraction and numbe...
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Performance of 2D 1H spectroscopic imaging of the brain: some practical considerations regarding the measurement procedure
Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 1999
This paper deals with some of the practical considerations in the planning and performance of chemical shift imaging (MRSI or CSI) of the brain. It contains some aspects of 1) the imaging procedure (MRI), i.e., suggestions of an imaging protocol useful for the spectroscopic planning, 2) the planning of the spectroscopic volume, i.e., size and position, 3) evaluation and judgment of the preparation results, and 4) evaluation of the MRSI images. The paper also contains suggestions of developmental work and quality assessment to be done before patient studies are begun. Examples are given for MRSI studies of temporal lobe epilepsy. Several of the aspects described are obvious for the experienced spectroscopist but may be useful in the initiation of MRSI. The go...
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(2058) Proposal to conserve Odontarrhena obovata (Alyssum obovatum), nom. cons. prop., against Alyssum fischerianum (Cruciferae)
TAXON, 2012
TAXONVolume 61, Issue 2 p. 470-470 Proposals to Conserve or Reject NamesFree Access (2058) Proposal to conserve Odontarrhena obovata (Alyssum obovatum), nom. cons. prop., against Alyssum fischerianum (Cruciferae) Dmitry A. German, Corresponding Author Dmitry A. German oreoloma@rambler.ru Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 345, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany South-Siberian Botanical Garden, Altai State University, Lenina str. 61, 656049 Barnaul, RussiaSearch for more papers by this author Dmitry A. German, Corresponding Author Dmitry A. German oreoloma@rambler.ru Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 345, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany South-Siberian Botanical Garden, Altai State University, Len...
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Performance of a deep excavation and the influence on adjacent piles: A case history in karst region covered by clay and sand
Underground Space, 2023
This paper presents a case study of deep excavation adjacent to an existing bridge in karst region of Guangzhou city, China. The movements of retaining structures, settlements of surrounding ground and pipelines, and the responses of bridge piles were measured and evaluated. A sudden surge of groundwater was recorded at the north pit when excavated halfway. Soil-cement columns using the Metro Jet System (MJS) method was employed along the outer perimeters of the diaphragm wall where water inflow occurred, for the sake of blocking the flow channels. The measured maximum wall deflection δhm in this case ranged from 0.13 %H to 0.3 %H, with a mean value of 0.2 %H (H is the excavation depth), which agreed well with the empirical prediction in mixed ground. Durin...
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Comparative phylogeography of wetland plants in central Honshu, Japan: evolutionary legacy of ancient refugia
Bot J Linn Soc, 2015
The Shu–Isewan region in central Honshu, Japan is an area in which unique wetland ecosystems have existed for millions of years. This ecological setting provides an excellent opportunity to examine how this palaeogeographical history has concomitantly affected the genetic variation of species now associated with one another. We examined this question by comparing the genetic structure and diversity of plant species characteristic of the wetlands. We collected leaves from individuals of nine species occurring in each of 68 wetlands. This was followed by the analysis of 468–1894 bp of non-coding plastid DNA. In addition, information on haplotype occurrences for two other species was obtained from previous studies. Based on the spatial patterns of plastid D...