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Histopathological heterogeneity is a hallmark of prostate cancer (PCa). Using spatial and parallel single-nucleus transcriptomics, we report an androgen receptor (AR)-positive but neuroendocrine-null primary PCa subtype with morphologic and molecular characteristics of small cell carcinoma. Such small cell-like PCa (SCLPC) is clinically aggressive with low AR, but high stemness and proliferation, activity. Molecular characterization prioritizes protein translation, represented by up-regulation of many ribosomal protein genes, and SP1, a transcriptional factor that drives SCLPC phenotype and overexpresses in castration-resistant PCa (CRPC), as two potential therapeutic targets in AR-indifferent CRPC. An SP1-specific inhibitor, plicamycin, effectively suppresses CRPC growth in vivo. Homoharringtonine, a Food And Drug Administration-approved translation elongation inhibitor, impedes CRPC progression in preclinical models and patients with CRPC. We construct an SCLPC-specific signature capable of stratifying patients for drug selectivity. Our studies reveal the existence of SCLPC in admixed PCa pathology, which may mediate tumor relapse, and establish SP1 and translation elongation as actionable therapeutic targets for CRPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural non-point source pollution is increasingly an important issue affecting surface water quality. Currently, the majority of the studies on nitrogen loss have focused on the agricultural field scale, however, the response of surface water quality at the watershed scale into the nitrogen loss at the field scale is poorly understood. The present study systematically reviewed the critical processes and major factors that nitrogen transport from farm fields to surface water bodies. The critical processes of farmland nitrogen entering surface water bodies involve the processes of nitrogen transport from farmland to ditches and the transformation processes of nitrogen during migration in ditches/rivers. Nitrogen transport from farmland to ditches is one of the prerequisites and critical processes for farmland nitrogen transport to surface water bodies. The transformation of nitrogen forms in ditches/rivers is an intermediate process in the migration of nitrogen from farmland to surface water bodies. Nitrogen loss from farmland is related to soil storage and exogenous inputs. Therefore, nitrogen input management should not only consider the current input, but also the contribution of soil storage due to the historical surpluses. Ditches/rivers have a strong retention capacity for nitrogen, which will significantly affect the process of farmland nitrogen entering surface water bodies. The factors affecting nitrogen transformation in river/ditches can be placed in four categories: (1) factors affecting hydraulic retention time, (2) factors affecting contact area, (3) factors affecting biological activity, and (4) forms and amount of nitrogen loading to river/ditches. Ditch systems are more biologically (including plants and microbes) active than rivers with biological factors having a greater influence on nitrogen transformation. When developing pollution prevention and control strategies, ecological ditches can be constructed to increase biological activity and reduce the amount of surplus nitrogen entering the water body. The present research should be valuable for the evaluation of environment impacts of nitrogen loss and the non-point source pollution control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout his entire life Leibniz pursued the project of a universal language. His vision involved reducing all complex concepts to simple ones, creating a »catalogue of elementary thoughts.« By associating specific signs, whether in the form of alphabetic characters or numbers, with the analyzed concepts, he aimed to facilitate the accurate synthesis of all ideas. Leibniz envisioned that conflicts could be resolved with a mere stroke of the pen, as thinking, in his perspective, was synonymous with calculating. In essence, he urged: »calculemus« – let us calculate! [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the two-dimensional (2D) anchorless localization problem for sensor networks in global positioning system (GPS)-denied environments. We present an efficient method, based on the multidimensional scaling (MDS) algorithm, in order to estimate the positions of the nodes in the network using measurements of the inter-node distances. The proposed method takes advantage of the mobility of the nodes to address the location ambiguity problem, i.e., rotation and flip ambiguity, which arises in the anchorless MDS algorithm. Knowledge of the displacement of the moving node is used to produce an analytical solution for the noise-free case. Subsequently, a least squares estimator is presented for the noisy scenario and the associated closed-form solution derived. The simulations show that the proposed algorithm accurately and efficiently estimates the locations of nodes, outperforming alternative methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a major cause of community acquired pneumonia and exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A current effort in NTHi vaccine development has focused on generating humoral responses and has been greatly impeded by antigenic variation among the numerous circulating NTHi strains. In this study, we showed that pulmonary immunization of mice with killed NTHi generated broad protection against lung infection by different strains. While passive transfer of immune antibodies protected only against the homologous strain, transfer of immune T cells conferred protection against both homologous and heterologous strains. Further characterization revealed a strong Th17 response that was cross-reactive with different NTHi strains. Responding Th17 cells recognized both cytosolic and membrane-associated antigens, while immune antibodies preferentially responded to surface antigens and were highly strain specific. We further identified several conserved proteins recognized by lung Th17 cells during NTHi infection. Two proteins yielding the strongest responses were tested as vaccine candidates by immunization of mice with purified proteins plus an adjuvant. Immunization induced antigen-specific Th17 cells that recognized different strains and, upon adoptive transfer, conferred protection. Furthermore, immunized mice were protected against challenge with not only NTHi strains but also a fully virulent, encapsulated strain. Together, these results show that the immune mechanism of cross-protection against pneumonia involves Th17 cells, which respond to a broad spectrum of antigens, including those that are highly conserved among NTHi strains. These mechanistic insights suggest that inclusion of Th17 antigens in subunit vaccines offers the advantage of inducing broad protection and complements the current antibody-based approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imperatorin (IMT) is a furanocoumarin from the root of Phlomis younghusbandii (Lamiaceae) with various activities. In the present study, the anti-inflammatory effects of IMT were evaluated by examining dimethylbenzene-induced ear edema, acetic acid-induced vascular permeability and by performing cotton pellet granuloma assessments in mice. In addition, the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β, were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits in mice and using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis in RAW 264.7 cells. The expression levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxy-genase-2 (COX-2), nuclear p65, cytosolic p65 and inhibitor of nuclear factor (NF)-κB (IκB) in RAW 264.7 cells were determined using western blot analysis. The results showed that the oral administration of IMT significantly inhibited the inflammatory reactions and reduced the release of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β reactions and reduced and suppressed the mRNA expression of TNF-A expressionact1o, and the protein expression of iNOS and COX-2 in the RAW 264.7 cells. The results also indicated that IMT suppressed the activity of NF-κB via upregulating p65 and IκB in the cytoplasm and downregulating p65 in the nucleus. In conclusion, IMT possessed notable anti-inflammatory activities in vitro and in vivo through inhibiting the NF-κB pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Simple bone cysts are common benign lytic bone lesions in children. The main goals of treatment for bone cysts are to prevent pathological fractures, support the healing process, and prevent recurrence. This retrospective study compared fixation with titanium elastic intramedullary nailing (TEN) versus aspiration and injection of autogenous bone marrow (ABM) for the treatment of simple bone cysts in children.Methods: Forty-six patients (mean follow-up, 62 months; range, 34-71 months) who presented with bone cysts (30 in the humerus, 16 in the femur) from January 2006 to December 2012 were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were treated with either TEN or ABM injection. Radiographs were evaluated according to previously established criteria. Clinical evaluations of pain, infection, additional fractures, and range of motion were performed.Results: After treatment, all patients were pain-free and had normal range of motion in adjacent joints. In the ABM group, 14 (60.9 %) bone cysts completely healed, six (26.1 %) healed with small residuals after two injections, and three (13.0 %) recurred. In the TEN group, 16 (69.6 %) bone cysts completely healed, four (17.4 %) healed with small residuals, and three (13.0 %) recurred. There were no significant differences in radiographic outcomes between groups at the final follow-up (P > 0.05). Three patients developed skin irritation as a result of the nail ends. Additional fractures occurred in four patients who underwent ABM injection and in two patients who underwent TEN. No significant associations were found between pathological fractures and cyst activity, location, or treatment outcomes in the patients studied.Conclusions: Both TEN and ABM injection are safe and effective treatment for bone cysts. ABM injection promotes osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells; multiple injections can reduce the likelihood of recurrence. TEN stabilizes the affected bone and thus allows early limb mobilization. It also reduces pressure in the capsule wall by continuous decompression to promote cyst healing. ABM injections can be used to treat cyst recurrence after previous TEN, with favorable results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leibniz was interested in China throughout his life, and he admired its culture. Originally, his interests revolved around Chinese characters, but widened when meeting the Jesuit China missionary P. Grimaldi in Rome 1689. From that time on, Leibniz pursued the project of a knowledge exchange between both sides of the world. He was convinced that Europe and China were on the same cultural level, while diverging over advances in distinct fields. In his view, Europe was more advanced in theoretical areas, such as logic, mathematics, geometry, physics, mathematical astronomy, and theory of natural religion, while China was superior in empirical disciplines, such as in observational astronomy, medicine, historiography, and moral philosophy, which he understood as natural (i.e. rational) theology. This project of knowledge exchange presupposed the recognition of Chinese culture. In this sense, Leibniz strongly supported the Jesuit position, according to which the rites of ancestral worship and reverence of Confucius are riti politici rather than literal expressions of religious faith. Leibniz's main objection to the Pope's negative assessment of Chinese rites was that one cannot settle the so-called Rites Controversy as long as one fails to interpret adequately Chinese culture and Confucian thought in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet of Things has broad application in military field, commerce, environmental monitoring, and many other fields. However, the open nature of the information media and the poor deployment environment have brought great risks to the security of wireless sensor networks, seriously restricting the application of wireless sensor network. Internet of Things composed of wireless sensor network faces security threats mainly from Dos attack, replay attack, integrity attack, false routing information attack, and flooding attack. In this paper, we proposed a new intrusion detection system based on K-nearest neighbor (K-nearest neighbor, referred to as KNN below) classification algorithm in wireless sensor network. This system can separate abnormal nodes from normal nodes by observing their abnormal behaviors, and we analyse parameter selection and error rate of the intrusion detection system. The paper elaborates on the design and implementation of the detection system. This system has achieved efficient, rapid intrusion detection by improving the wireless ad hoc on-demand distance vector routing protocol (Ad hoc On-Demand Distance the Vector Routing, AODV). Finally, the test results show that: the system has high detection accuracy and speed, in accordance with the requirement of wireless sensor network intrusion detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The treatment of cancer draws interest from researchers worldwide. Of the different extracts from traditional Chinese medicines, Tubeimoside 1 (TBMS 1) is regarded as an effective treatment for cancer. To determine the mechanism of TBMS 1, the shape/pattern of HepG2 cells based on the microscopic imaging technology was determined to analyze experimental results; then the fluorescent spectra method was designed to investigate whether TBMS 1 affected HepG2 cells. A three-dimensional (3D) fluorescent spectra sweep was performed to determine the characteristic wave peak of HepG2 cells. A 2D fluorescent spectra method was then used to show the florescence change in HepG2 cells following treatment with TBMS 1. Finally, flow cytometry was employed to analyze the cell cycle of HepG2 cells. It was shown that TBMS 1 accelerated the death of HepG2 cells and had a strong dose- and time-dependent growth inhibitory effect on HepG2 cells, especially at the G2/M phase. These results indicate that the fluorescent spectra method is a promising substitute for flow cytometry as it is rapid and cost-effective in HepG2 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elastic finite element numerical models are used to study the steady-state thermal stresses induced on cooling from the sintering temperature of Ti–ZrO2 thermal barrier functionally graded materials (FGMs). The mechanical and thermal properties of Ti–ZrO2 composites with different Ti volume fractions are calculated by rule-of-mixtures. For a disk-shaped specimen with a linear compositional distribution and a fixed geometric size, optimum microstructural characteristics for minimizing residual stress are identified. The theoretical analysis and experimental results show that the stress concentration is built up near the graded-layer-interface. The radial stress preferentially acts on the fracture of FGMs. This is in agreement with the experimental results. The graded structure of FGMs can greatly reduce the residual stress compared with non-graded interface of directly jointed materials. To predict the performance of Ti–ZrO2 FGMs which is served in the conditions with large temperature difference, the thermal stress distribution in the temperature field has also been analyzed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Investigates the thermodynamic properties of gamma-aluminum oxynitride. Calculation of the thermodynamic quasi-parabola rule; Use of infrared and visible window applications; Estimation of the Gibbs energy values.

Endometrial receptivity plays a vital role in successful embryo implantation in pigs. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), known as regulators of gene expression, have been implicated in the regulation of embryo implantation. However, the role of miRNAs in endometrial receptivity during the pre-implantation period remains elusive. In this study, we report that the expression level of Sus scrofa (ssc)-miR-21-5p in porcine endometrium tissues was significantly increased from day 9 to day 12 of pregnancy. Knockdown of ssc-miR-21-5p inhibited proliferation and migration of endometrial epithelial cells (EECs), and induced their apoptosis. We verified that programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) was a target gene of ssc-miR-21-5p. Inhibition of PDCD4 rescued the effect of ssc-miR-21-5p repression on EECs. Our results also revealed that knockdown of ssc-miR-21-5p impeded the phosphorylation of AKT (herein referring to AKT1) by targeting PDCD4, which further upregulated the expression of Bax, and downregulated the levels of Bcl2 and Mmp9. Furthermore, loss of function of Mus musculus (mmu)-miR-21-5p in vivo resulted in a decreased number of implanted mouse embryos. Taken together, knockdown of ssc-miR-21-5p hampers endometrial receptivity by modulating the PDCD4/AKT pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recovering a distance from ambiguous phase measurements observed at multiple signal frequencies involves the estimation of both integer and scalar quantities simultaneously. The problem is optimally addressed by existing methods only when the measurement noise is IID. A noise 'whitening' procedure is derived with a least-square estimation structure inherent to the Lattice method proposed previously which thus extends this Lattice-based algorithm to cope with coloured phase measurement noise in an optimal manner demonstrated via simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-resolution scanning radar mapping of the surface is an effective tool for addressing concerns in local environmental and social investigation fields. Regrettably, the azimuth resolution of a scanning radar is constrained by the antenna beamwidth. Multiple super-resolution approaches have been applied to the scanning radar to enhance the azimuth resolution, but they suffer from limited resolution improvement. In this paper, a methodology to derive surface estimates from the scanning radar at an improved azimuth resolution is proposed. We first consider the truncated spectrum by discarding the unreliable frequencies to suppress the noise amplification. Then, based on the iterative adaptive approach (IAA), a novel inverse filtering method is formulated to obtain lower sidelobes and a higher resolution. Finally, by taking advantage of the Fourier property of the steering matrix and the Toeplitz structure of the covariance matrix, we exploit the Gohberg-Semencul representation and the data-dependent trigonometric polynomials to derive a fast IAA (FIAA)-based inverse filtering to mitigate the computational burden. Simulation results and real data processing demonstrate that the proposed FIAA-based inverse filtering outperforms the existing super-resolution approaches in resolution improvement and results in a higher computational efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Free of the constraints of orbit mechanisms, weather conditions and minimum antenna area, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) equipped on near-space platform is more suitable for sustained large-scene imaging compared with the spaceborne and airborne counterparts. Terrain observation by progressive scans (TOPS), which is a novel wide-swath imaging mode and allows the beam of SAR to scan along the azimuth, can reduce the time of echo acquisition for large scene. Thus, near-space TOPS-mode SAR (NS-TOPSAR) provides a new opportunity for sustained large-scene imaging. An efficient full-aperture imaging scheme for NS-TOPSAR is proposed in this paper. In this scheme, firstly, two-step processing (TSP) is adopted to eliminate the Doppler aliasing of the echo. Then, the data is focused in two-dimensional frequency domain (FD) based on Stolt interpolation. Finally, a modified TSP (MTSP) is performed to remove the azimuth aliasing. Simulations are presented to demonstrate the validity of the proposed imaging scheme for near-space large-scene imaging application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particle size is a significant parameter which determines the environmental fate and the behavior of dust particles and, implicitly, the exposure risk of humans to particle-bound contaminants. Currently, the influence of dust particle size on the occurrence and seasonal variation of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) remains unclear. While HBCDs are now restricted by the Stockholm Convention, information regarding HBCD contamination in indoor dust in China is still limited. We analyzed composite dust samples from offices (n = 22), hotels (n = 3), kindergartens (n = 2), dormitories (n = 40), and main roads (n = 10). Each composite dust sample (one per type of microenvironment) was fractionated into 9 fractions (F1-F9: 2000-900, 900-500, 500-400, 400-300, 300-200, 200-100, 100-74, 74-50, and <50 μm). Total HBCD concentrations ranged from 5.3 (road dust, F4) to 2580 ng g-1 (dormitory dust, F4) in the 45 size-segregated samples. The seasonality of HBCDs in indoor dust was investigated in 40 samples from two offices. A consistent seasonal trend of HBCD levels was evident with dust collected in the winter being more contaminated with HBCDs than dust from the summer. Particle size-selection strategy for dust analysis has been found to be influential on the HBCD concentrations, while overestimation or underestimation would occur with improper strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A stereo microscopic system as a high-precision visual feedback is widely used in the fields of microthree-dimensional (3-D) measurement and micromanipulation tasks. A new stereo binocular visual servoing model based on a Greenough-type stereoscopic light microscope to solve the 3-D micropositioning problem is proposed. The new model contains no depth information, but the information at the left and right images is used to obtain the image Jacobian matrix. Visual information can be directly obtained from the 3-D space without measuring or estimating the depth information of the unknown points of the object via this new model. The new model can not only accurately and rapidly realize automatic control for a micromanipulation system, but also improve the system control performance. We design an image-based controller with consideration of the kinematics characteristics of a microrobot. Experimental results verify the validity of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Giardia lamblia (G. lamblia) has a simple life cycle that alternates between a cyst and a trophozoite, and this parasite is an important human and animal pathogen. To increase our understanding of the molecular basis of the G. lamblia encystment, we have analyzed the soluble proteins expressed by trophozoites and cysts extracted from feces by quantitative proteomic analysis. A total of 63 proteins were identified by isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) labeling, and were categorized as cytoskeletal proteins, a cell-cycle-specific kinase, metabolic enzymes and stress resistance proteins. Importantly, we demonstrated that the expression of seven proteins differed significantly between trophozoites and cysts. In cysts, the expression of three proteins (one variable surface protein (VSP), ornithine carbamoyltransferase (OTC), β-tubulin) increased, whereas the expression of four proteins (14-3-3 protein, α-tubulin, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), protein disulfide isomerase 2 (PDI-2)) decreased significantly when compared with the levels of these proteins in trophozoites. The mRNA expression patterns of four of these proteins (OTC, α-tubulin, GAPDH, VSP) were similar to the expression levels of the proteins. These seven proteins appear to play an important role in the completion of the life cycle of G. lamblia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper deals with the synthesis, microstructures and properties of γ-aluminum oxynitride (AlON). The thermodynamic properties of AlON were analyzed and the Gibbs energy of AlON with different compositions and temperatures were evaluated. Based on thermodynamic studies, AlON has been synthesized. The microstructures, mechanical properties and oxidation resistance of the synthetic AlON have been examined and discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An experimental program investigating the flexural behavior of an innovative dovetail ultra-high performance concrete joint for connecting precast ultra-high performance concrete slabs in composite bridges is reported in this study. Test parameters included interface treatment method, joint material, reinforcing bar overlapping form, and prestressing level. Specifically, a new steel wire mesh interface treatment was proposed, which could generate an additional fiber-bridging mechanism in the joint surface. An enhancement of 17.4%, 20.1%, and 50% on flexural cracking strength, ultimate strength, and ductility were obtained by using the steel wire mesh. Joint material showed no significant influence, while prestressing had obvious influence on the flexural behavior of ultra-high performance concrete joints. The post-cracking behavior, ductility performance, and stiffness degradation of the tested specimens were analyzed. Good deformability was obtained for the jointed ultra-high performance concrete slabs as the ratio of deflection to span was about 1/50 at failure. The post-cracking stiffness was retained at about 90% of the initial stiffness, while the ultimate stiffness was retained at about 10% of the initial stiffness. The research findings are useful in popularizing and applying the proposed innovative dovetail ultra-high performance concrete joints in composite bridges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issues related to the nicotine content of tobacco have been public concerns. Several reports have described decreasing nicotine levels by silencing the putrescine N-methyltransferase (PMT) genes, but the reported variations of nicotine levels among transgenic lines are relatively low in general. Here we describe the generation in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) lines with widely different, reduced nicotine levels using three kinds of RNA-silencing approaches. The relative efficacies of suppression were compared among the three approaches regarding the aspect of nicotine level in tobacco leaves. By suppressing expression of the PMT genes, over 200 transgenic lines were obtained with nicotine levels reduced by 9.1-96.7%. RNA interference (RNAi) was the most efficient method of reducing the levels of nicotine, whereas cosuppression and antisense methods were less effective. This report gives clues to the efficient generation of plants with a variety of metabolite levels, and the results demonstrate the relative efficiencies of various RNA-silencing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPS; EC2.5.1.1/EC2. 5.1.10) catalyzes the synthesis of farnesyl diphosphate, and provides precursor for biosynthesis of sesquiterpene and isoprenoids containing more than 15 isoprene units in Ginkgo biloba. Here we report the cloning, characterization and functional analysis of a new cDNA encoding FPS from G. biloba. The full-length cDNA (designated GbFPS) had 1731 bp with an open reading frame of 1170 bp encoding a polypeptide of 390 amino acids. The deduced GbFPS was similar to other known FPSs and contained all the conserved regions of trans-prenyl chain-elongating enzymes. Structural modeling showed that GbFPS had the typical structure of FPS, the most prominent feature of which is the arrangement of 13 core helices around a large central cavity. Southern blot analysis revealed a small FPS gene family in G. biloba. Expression analysis indicated that GbFPS expression was high in roots and leaves, and low in stems. Functional complementation of GbFPS in an FPS-deficient strain confirmed that GbFPS mediates farnesyl diphosphate biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oxygen sensitivity of pure TiO2, nano-CeO2 coating micro-TiO2 and nano-CeO2 coating nano-TiO2 materials was investigated in the present work. The experiments showed that the oxygen sensitivity of the nano-CeO2 coating nano-TiO2 materials was much better than that of the pure TiO2 and CeO2 coating micro-TiO2 materials. Thermodynamic analyses and XPS experimental results indicated that CeO2 was easier to be reduced into non-stoichiometric compound than TiO2 under the same change of partial oxygen pressure. With large special surface area and capacity of storing and releasing oxygen while the atmosphere changes, nano-CeO2 is a very good catalyst for the oxygen sensitivity of TiO2. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We propose a novel hybrid plasmonic waveguide with metal-semiconductor ribs. We investigated the modal properties of the proposed structure and the threshold property for plasmonic nanolaser applications by using the finite element method. The results reveal that the structure enables deep-subwavelength mode confinement with low propagation loss and low threshold. By optimizing the geometric parameters of the structure, the mode area can reach 0.000 29λ2 with a threshold of 700.9/cm at the wavelength of 1.55 μm. Compared to the previously studied hybrid plasmonic waveguide, tighter mode confinement and lower propagation loss is simultaneously achieved for the structure with the same geometric parameters. The designed structure can be used as a low-threshold nanolaser and has promising potential for applications in active plasmonic systems and optoelectronic integrated circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]