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The metal-insulator transition is typically controlled by carrier accumulation or chemical doping. Here, the authors realize an alternative method based on resonant tunnelling in a double quantum well structure of strongly correlated oxides, which offers practical advantages over conventional methods.

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A 59-year-old male patient presented with left chest discomfort on admission. His medical history included encephalitis in childhood and his smoking history was 20 cigarettes per day for 40 years. A physical examination showed an anemic and edematous face with weak respiratory sounds in the left lung. The patient had elevated calcium levels and decreased hemoglobin and potassium. His parathyroid hormone-related protein level was elevated. Thoracic radiography showed cardiomegaly and computed tomography revealed a left lung mass with invasion of the heart and pleural effusion. Magnetic resonance imaging showed endocardial invasion of the tumor mass. Gallium-68 imaging revealed positive accumulation in the region surrounding the heart. No diagnoses were possible upon frequent cytology of his sputum and pleural effusion. The patient died from congestive heart failure with anoxia 38 days after admission. An autopsy revealed tumoral mass occlusion in the left main bronchus and tumoral invasion of the left atrium, left ventricle, and aorta.

A 94-year-old female patient presented with anorexia and left axillar lymphadenopathy on admission. Her past history was angina pectoris at 83 years of age and total gastrectomy due to gastric cancer at 87 years. The family history revealed that her son had had a malignant lymphoma, the histopathological diagnosis of which was diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. A physical examination showed both cervical, axillar, and inguinal lymphadenopathy without tenderness. She had elevated lactate dehydrogenase, ferritin, and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R). Whole-body computed tomography confirmed the cervical, axillary, and inguinal lymphadenopathy. Gallium-68 imaging revealed positive accumulation in these superficial lymph nodes. A right inguinal lymph node biopsy showed features of Epstein-Barr virus-associated lymphoproliferative disorder. Immunohistological studies on this lymph node biopsy showed CD20-positive large cells, CD3-positive small cells, and CD30-partly-positive large cells. In situ hybridization showed Epstein-Barr virus-positive, LMP-partly-positive, and EBNA2-negative cells. She refused chemotherapy as her son had died from hematemesis during chemotherapy. She received intravenous hyperalimentation for 1 month after admission. No palpable lymph nodes were identified by physical examination or computed tomography 3 months after admission, and regression of lactate dehydrogenase, ferritin, and sIL-2R was observed. She recovered from anorexia and was discharged. She died from pneumonia 10 months later after initial symptoms of anorexia. The autopsy showed no superficial lymphadenopathy.

School Transport is considered an essential service that provides equitable access to school children who have difficulties in accessing their respective schools. Different school transport systems in countries differ from each other based on their resources and topography. This paper presents a case study conducted on the Sri Lankan School Bus service “Sisu Seriya" initiated in 2005 to provide a sustainable, reliable and safe mechanism for providing State assistance for school transport. It provides bus service at a concessionary rate through a state subsidy to schoolchildren across the country, contracting bus operators in both public and private sectors, engaged for regularly scheduled services through a specific contractual arrangement in which a set of regulatory and safety conditions are stipulated. Sisu Seriya engages over 1,565 buses serving more than 100,000 school children daily. This paper has benchmarked the Sisu Seriya service through a systematic review of global best practices. Initiation of the system, design features, implementation mechanism and monitoring procedures of the Sisu Seriya service and areas for potential improvement are discussed based on its 15 years of operation, while elucidating the distinctive characteristics of the system. It further highlights how the service design has addressed the challenge of resource limitations, inherent to developing countries, through effective utilization of the existing fleet.

Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) account for 90% of road collisions that occur globally. These collisions account for 17.63 million serious injuries and deaths while costing LMIC economies 1.7 trillion USD amounting to 6.5% of aggregate annual GDP. Though there are a plethora of models on road transport safety, few address the impact of user psychology and the contextual environment in LMICs on road safety. This paper proposes such a model formulated and developed using existing literature and focus group discussions. The model is composed of three key constituents - behaviour, skills and knowledge, and infrastructure. It further interprets behaviour as an integration of three sub-elements—mindset, circumstances and legal system—pertaining to the incident. The interaction between these constructs constitutes user behaviour in a given circumstance. The research also proposes an implementation guideline to authorities that is instrumental in changing society’s perception of transport safety.

Abstract??We investigated the use ofMinosas a vector for transgenesis in the silkworm,Bombyx mori. We first constructed a vector plasmid with the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene fused with the silkworm cytoplasmic actin gene (A3) promoter, and a helper plasmid with theMinostransposase gene controlled by the same A3 promoter. Injection of the vector and helper plasmid DNA into silkworm eggs produced transgenic animals in the following generation. The efficiency of transgenic silkworm production using this method was much lower than that obtained usingpiggyBac-mediated germ line transformation. However, >40-fold increase in the efficiency of producing transgenic silkworms was obtained using an in vitro synthesized source ofMinostransposase mRNA. We conclude that theMinostransposon is a useful vector for construction of transgenic silkworms, particularly when in vitro synthesized mRNA is used. This is the first report showing thatMinoscan be used as a vector for germ-line transformation in lepidopteran insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA titer and HCV genotype are considered to be major determinants of the outcome of interferon monotherapy. To clarify whether interferon monotherapy is really effective in patients with the appropriate viral parameters, we prospectively examined these parameters and treated the patients with interferon monotherapy. Methods: Sixty-four patients with an HCV RNA titer <100 kIU/ml and/or HCV genotype 2 were enrolled in the study. Eighteen patients with an HCV RNA titer >100 kIU/ml and genotype 1 were also enrolled as controls. All patients were treated with 10 megaunits of interferon-α2b every day for 2 weeks and then 3 times a week for 24 weeks. Results: Of the 64 patients with either HCV RNA <100 kIU/ml and/or genotype 2, seven dropped out from the study. Of the remaining 57 who completed the treatment, 48 (84%) showed a virologic sustained response. In contrast, only 4 of the 18 patients (22%) with HCV RNA >100 kIU/ml and genotype 1 were virologic sustained responders (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our current study showed that the patients with HCV RNA <100 kIU/ml and/or HCV genotype 2 are good candidates for interferon monotherapy.Copyright © 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is a major public health problem worldwide. The infection does not induce any visible cytopathic effects or interfere with macromolecular synthesis in host cells. However, the hepatitis B and C viruses have recently been reported to activate intracellular signals. To clarify the effects of HAV infection on intracellular signalling, we examined the influence of 9 FLAG-tagged HAV proteins (VP2, VP3, VP1-2A, 2B, 2C, 3A, 3BC, 3C and 3D) on signal transduction pathways. Methods: Viral protein expression vectors were co-transfected into HeLa cells with reporter plasmids controlled by a synthetic promoter containing direct repeats of the cyclic AMP response element (CRE), serum response factor (SRF), activator protein 1 (AP-1), nuclear factor kB (NF-kB) or serum response element (SRE). Cells were harvested 42 h after transfection and luciferase assays were performed. Viral protein activation twice that of the control was defined as significant. Results: VP3 induced an SRE-associated signal 2.2 ± 0.3 times higher than that of control. VP3 did not activate CRE-, SRF-, AP-1- or NF-kB- associated signalling. The other HAV proteins tested also failed to induce these pathways. Conclusions: HAV interacts with the host signalling mechanism, and HAV VP3, different from HBX and hepatitis C core protein, may activate only SRE-associated intracellular signalling, a pathway associated with cell proliferation and differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Site-specific information on land management practices are often desired to make better assessments of their environmental impacts. A study was conducted in Lubbock, Texas, in the Southern High Plains of the United States, an area characterized by semi-arid climatic conditions, to (1) examine the potential management-induced alterations in soil salinity indicators in golf course facilities and (2) develop predictive relationships for a more rapid soil salinity examination within these urban landscape soils using findings from a portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) spectrometer. Soil samples were collected from managed (well irrigated) and non-managed (non-irrigated) areas of seven golf course facilities at 0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm depths and analyzed for a suite of chemical properties. Among the extractable cations, sodium (Na) was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the managed zones of all the golf facilities. Soil electrical conductivity (EC), exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), parameters often used in characterizing soil salinity and sodicity, were for the most part significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the managed areas. Water quality reports collected over a 22-year period (1991–2013, all years not available) indicated a gradual increase in pH, EC, SAR, total alkalinity, and extractable ions, thus supporting the former findings. Findings from the PXRF suggested possible differences in chemical species and sources that contribute to salinity between the managed and non-managed zones. PXRF-quantified Cl and S, and to a lesser extent Ca, individually and collectively explained 23–85% of the variability associated with soil salinity at these facilities.

This study extends the application of the portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) spectrometry to the examination of elements in semi-arid urban landscapes of the Southern High Plains (SHP) of the United States, focusing on golf courses. The complex environmental challenges of this region and the unique management practices at golf course facilities could lead to differences in concentration and in the chemistry of elements between managed (irrigated) and non-managed (non-irrigated) portions of these facilities. Soil samples were collected at depths of 0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm from managed and non-managed areas of seven different facilities in the city of Lubbock, Texas, and analyzed for a suite of soil properties. Total elemental quantification was conducted using a PXRF spectrometer. Findings mostly indicated no significant differences in the concentration of examined elements between the managed and non-managed areas of the facilities. However, strong positive relationships (R = 0.82−0.91, p < 0.001) were observed among elements (e.g., Fe on the one hand and Cr, Mn, Ni, and As on the other; Cu and Zn; As and Cr) and between these elements and soil constituents or properties such as clay, calcium carbonate, organic matter, and pH. The strengths of these relationships were mostly higher in the non-managed areas, suggesting a possible alteration in the chemistry of these elements by anthropogenic influences in the managed areas. Principal component and correlation analyses within the managed areas suggested that As, Cr, Fe, Mn, and Ni could be of lithogenic origin, while Cu, Pb, and Zn could have anthropogenic influences. Only one possible, likely lithogenic, source of the elements was identified within the non-managed areas. As evidenced by the study, the PXRF spectrometer can be a valuable tool for elemental quantification and rapid investigation of elemental interaction and source apportionment in semi-arid climates.

Router-to-router all-optical wavelength path rerouting using generalized multiprotocol label switching protocol has been successfully carried out including photonic cross-connect and dense wavelength-division-multiplexing equipment. The rerouting time was measured to be shorter than 7 s. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Dans la zone Caraïbe, les chèvres sont principalement élevées pour la viande en système allaitant. Peu de références bibliographiques portent sur la caractérisation des chèvres locales en milieu tropical. Cette étude présente une synthèse des performances zootechniques de la chèvre Créole allaitante en Guadeloupe dans un troupeau expérimental de l’INRA. Le troupeau est conduit toute l’année au pâturage de façon intensive (conduite de la reproduction, prophylaxie, fertilisation, irrigation, charge animale). Les performances de reproduction ont été analysées à partir d’une banque de données portant sur 599 femelles ayant réalisé 1904 mise bas. La première mise bas intervient à 17,2+3,1 mois et l’intervalle moyen entre mise bas est de 8,5 mois. Le taux moyen de fertilité est souvent supérieur à 90 %. La taille moyenne de la portée est de 2,1 chevreaux par mise bas. Plus de 80 % des mise bas donnent des portées d’au moins 2 chevreaux nés vivants et 95 % des mise bas n’ont jamais eu de morts nés. La taille de la portée augmente régulièrement avec le rang de mise bas jusqu’à la 5ème, de 50 % depuis la première. Les caractéristiques de la production laitière sont décrites à partir de 145 lactations estimées par la méthode ocytocine dans différents essais d’alimentation. La production laitière moyenne ajustée pour les principaux facteurs de variation est de 792+206 g/j. Les courbes de production présentent un pic de lactation précoce, en 2ème semaine de lactation, et de faible niveau : 550 et 1020 g/j pour les chèvres allaitant des simples et des doubles respectivement. Le taux butyreux moyen est de 5 %. Les performances de croissance avant sevrage ont été analysées sur 6375 chevreaux. Les données présentées sont ajustées pour les principaux facteurs de variation du modèle : le sexe, la taille de la portée, le rang de mise bas, l’année et la saison de mise bas. Le taux de mortalité moyen est de 15,7 %. Les poids à la naissance et au sevrage (réalisé à un âge moyen de 82+15 j) sont de 1,73+0,34 kg et 7,75+1,76 kg respectivement. Ils varient selon la taille de la portée et le sexe : 15 % de différence entre les simples et les multiples et 10 à 8 % de variation entre mâles et femelles. Le gain moyen quotidien entre 10 et 30 jours (GMQ10-30) et le GMQ40-70 sont de 84,3 + 25,9 et 65,7 + 24,0 g/j respectivement. Il apparaît que la chèvre Créole se classe parmi les meilleurs génotypes tropicaux à viande du fait de ses grandes capacités de reproduction, ses qualités maternelles et les niveaux de croissance présevrage observés.

We introduce a mesoscopic model of pedestrian group behaviour, in which the internal group dynamics is modelled using a microscopic potential, while the effect of the environment is modelled using a harmonic term whose intensity depends on a macroscopic quantity, crowd density. We show that, in order to properly describe the behaviour of 2-person groups, the harmonic term is directed orthogonally to the walking direction, and its intensity grows linearly with density. We also show that, once calibrated on 2-person groups, the model correctly predicts the velocity and spatial extension of 3-person groups in the walking direction, while in order to describe properly also the abreast extension of 3-person groups a modification in the microscopic group dynamics has to be introduced. The model also correctly predicts the presence of a bifurcation phenomenon, namely the emergence of a stable 3-person Λ configuration at high densities, while only the V formation is stable at low densities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until HCV NS3/4A protease inhibitors become available at the end of 2011, the combination pegylated-interferon (PEG-IFN)-alfa and ribavirin (RBV) will remain the standard treatment for chronic hepatitis C patients. In some hepatitis C virus-infected patients, PEG-IFN plus RBV treatment against HCV should continue to be used because of side effects of new drugs such as anemia. Our Japanese experiences should provide new information for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Keywords: Direct-acting antiviral agents (DAA), HCV, pegylated interferon, ribavirin, standard of care (SOC ).

Background: Intestinal mucosal barrier injury (MBI), resulting from myeloablative conditioning for haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT), is an important cause of morbidity. Despite its frequency, recognition presents a challenge, while the aetiology needs still to be unravelled. The relationship between enterocyte mass and enterocyte loss was explored by examining citrulline serum levels and by assessing circulating intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) and ileal bile acid-binding protein (I-BABP), proteins released by dying mature enterocytes. Patients and methods: Thirty-four adult patients with haematological malignancy received allogeneic HSCT (HSCT day 0) 12 days after being given idarubicin, cyclophosphamide and total body irradiation as myeloablative conditioning, a regimen known to induce oral and intestinal MBI. Serum levels of citrulline, I-FABP and I-BABP were measured on HSCT days −12, −6, 0, , and . Results: Myeloablative conditioning resulted in a significant decrease in serum citrulline with the nadir on HSCT day ; thereafter, levels rose gradually. Simultaneously, a significant decrease in I-FABP and I-BABP levels occurred from the day of transplant until day . Conclusions: Simultaneous reduction and subsequent increase of citrulline and I-FABP and I-BABP levels following cytotoxic treatment show that enterocyte mass corresponds to lower rate of dying enterocytes, indicating reduced turnover of enterocytes. Assessment of enterocyte turnover and mass offers opportunities for evaluation of new MBI therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]