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There are several computational approaches and methods to produce the complete solutions of geometry problems and they give sufficient computational strength for geodetic networks. Every approach and method has their advantages and drawbacks. Barycentric coordinates, also called areal coordinates, provide a new knock approach for geometry problems of such networks. This coordinate system offers triangular finite elements which are quite different from the usual Cartesian coordinate system. Actually, barycentric coordinates are a natural system of coordinates for the affine geometry. The modified approach for the affine transformation and barycentric coordinate system has been introduced and discussed, respectively in the study whether the affine transformation improves the results deteriorated by geometry of a GPS network. For this aim, general affine transformation of six-parameters between Eurasia Fixed Reference Frame (EUREF) and International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) for Turkish Permanent Global Positioning System Network (TPGN) has been computed. The affine transformation results show that the effects of the first and second translation parameters are in negative and positive directions, respectively. The third and sixth parameters are almost constant, on the other hand the fourth and fifth have a very small positive effect. Additionally, three triangular networks of GPS stations, at different locations in Turkey as a numerical example of barycentric coordinates, have also been presented. In the numerical example, the coordinate values of EUREF and ITRF have some differences after the decimal point, but the barycentric coordinates have very small amount of differences (sixth digit after decimal) which proves that the modified approach is meaningful.

Attempts were made to evaluate mathematically and empirically the accuracy of the Kubelka–Munk model for color match prediction of opaque and translucent surface coatings in the color using industries. To this end, an innovative inversed mathematical evaluation procedure was concocted which comprised of plotting the absorption and scattering constants of the Kubelka–Munk model or any of its various modified form or replacements theories against the intrinsic optical coefficients of the respective exact radiation transfer theories, namely Chandrasekhar for opaque and van de Hulst for translucent media. The results prove mathematically that the Kubelka–Munk model for opaque media is a sound theory and its various suggested modifications or replacements do not improve the color match prediction of opaque surface coating media. This mathematical conclusion was further confirmed by color match prediction of actual opaque paint samples. On the other hand, the mathematical prediction for translucent media illustrated a completely different picture, depicting nonlinearity between the optical constants and the respective concentrations of colorants. This implies that much further work has to be carried out to derive invertible new equations to enforce linearity to such situations or make use of alternative artificial intelligent procedures which are designed especially for nonlinearity.

Purpose: The current study endeavours to highlight the relation among team effectiveness (TE) and the employee’s decision to stay with or leave the organization. The research also studies the impact of demographic factors such as gender, qualification, experience, and tenure on employee retention (ER) and TE.Approach: The research was conducted to collect the response through questionnaire by the employees working in different organizations of service sector (such as educational institute, banking, insurance, and several others) in Uttarakhand state. Different statistical tools, such as Cronbach’s alpha, coefficient of correlation, t-test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA), have been applied to test the hypothesis.Findings: The result of the study reveals that tenure of the employee in an organization influences its decision to stay in the organization, which further helps the teams to perform effectively.Limitations: Irrespective of limitations, such as small sample size and survey of few teams from a certain type of sector, this research carries implications for researchers to investigate the unrevealed facts on TE and ER in the context of the service sector of Uttarakhand.Practical Implication: The ER strategies can help to improve and develop TE, which has paramount importance for service sector.Originality: This article fulfils and identifies the need of retaining valuable employees to increase the organizational and individual effectiveness.

Objective:Although there are various therapeutic modalities to manage patients suffering from sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus disease, there remains controversy over a standard method to treat such patients. In this study the postoperative outcomes after three different surgical methods of wound repair in patients with sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus were compared.Method:Patients were divided randomly into three different groups. All of the patients underwent a wide excision of their pilonidal sinus; the subsequent surgical wound was left open in the first group (lay open group) whereas it was repaired with a simple primary closure and a rhomboid flap in the second and third groups. Variables including length of hospitalisation, time for wound healing, time off work, recurrence and surgical complications were evaluated.Results:A total of 60 patients with an average age of 27.61 years were studied, including 47 (78.3%) men and 13 (21.7%) women. Postoperative hospitalisation time was significantly shorter in patients who were treated using the simple primary closure method than those with the rhomboid flaps. However, there were no differences in terms of postoperative hospitalisation time between the lay open and simple primary groups or the lay open and rhomboid groups. The period of absence from work was significantly shorter in patients who were managed by a simple primary closure or rhomboid flap technique comparing to those whose wound was left open (p<0.05). Complete wound healing had a significantly shorter course in the rhomboid flap and the simple primary closure techniques compared to those within the lay open group. In terms of complications, postoperative infection and haemorrhage were more common in the lay open group than in the other two. Recurrence was about 5% in patients who were treated with the lay open method in an 18-month follow-up period; however, no recurrence was observed in the other two groups.Conclusion:Considering the earlier wound healing period, less days absent from work, lower complication levels and recurrence rates, the simple primary closure or rhomboid flap techniques appear to be better options to treat the subsequent wound after a wide excision of pilonidal sinus when compared to the lay open method. The simple primary closure method causes no cosmetic disfiguration and the most promising option among the three techniques assessed.Declaration of interest:The authors have declared that no conflict of interest exists.

Rhinoplasty continues to behoove even the most experienced facial plastic surgeons in achieving long-term predictable success. To achieve the goals of a natural, refined, and esthetically flattering appearance of the nose while maintaining a functionally patent nasal airway, surgeons must adhere to certain guiding principles: preservation of favorable structural components, reorientation and augmentation of selected areas, and conservative resection. In keeping with this paradigm, the astute rhinoplastic surgeon must have thorough knowledge of grafts and implants commonly utilized in rhinoplasty today. After a systematic review of the literature, the authors present the pros and cons of commonly applied graft and implant materials utilized in rhinoplasty. The authors enlighten the reader about the indications of various grafting techniques endorsed by world experts in the field, especially as it pertains to the harvest, preparation, and insertion of these grafts into the nose. Finally, data supporting the long term results of these grafts and implants in rhinoplasty is presented. Copyright © 2008 by Elsevier Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major products of the trichothecene mycotoxin biosynthetic pathway produced in a species- and sometimes isolate-specific manner by cereal-pathogenic Fusarium fungi include T-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol, deoxynivalenol and nivalenol. This paper briefly reviews the major effects of such trichothecenes on the gross morphology, cytology and molecular signalling within eukaryotic cells. The gross toxic effects of select trichothecenes on animals include growth retardation, reduced ovarian function and reproductive disorders, immuno-compromization, feed refusal and vomiting. The phytotoxic effects of deoxynivalenol on plants can be summarized as growth retardation, inhibition of seedling and green plant regeneration. Trichothecenes are now recognized as having multiple inhibitory effects on eukaryote cells, including inhibition of protein, DNA and RNA synthesis, inhibition of mitochondrial function, effects on cell division and membrane effects. In animal cells, they induce apoptosis, a programmed cell death response. Current knowledge about the eukaryotic signal transduction cascades and downstream gene products activated by trichothecenes is limited, especially in plants. In mammalian cells, certain trichothecenes trigger a ribotoxic stress response and activate mitogen-activated protein kinases. DON mediates the inflammatory response by modulating the binding activities of specific transcription factors and subsequently inducing cytokine gene expression. Several genes are up-regulated in wheat in response to trichothecene mycotoxins; the significance, if any, of these genes in the host response to trichothecenes has yet to be elucidated.

Abstract:  Proton beam micromachining (PBM) has been shown to be a powerful technique to produce three-dimensional (3D) high-aspect-ratio microstructures (Watt et al., 2000). Potential commercial applications of PBM, which is a fast direct write technique, will become feasible if the fabrication of metallic molds or stamps is realised. Metallic components can be produced by electroplating a master from a microstructure produced in resist. The production of high-aspect-ratio metallic stamps and molds requires a lithographic technique capable of producing smooth and near 90° sidewalls and a one to one conversion of a resist structure to a metallic microstructure. PBM is the only technique capable of producing high-aspect-ratio microstructures with sub-micron details via a direct write process. In PBM, SU-8 (Lorenz et al., 1997) resist structures are produced by exposing the SU-8 resist with a focused MeV proton beam followed by chemical development and a subsequent electroplating step using Ni or Cu. The data presented shows that PBM can successfully produce high-aspect-ratio, sub-micron sized smooth metallic structures with near 90° sidewall profiles.

We investigated the effects of pertussis toxin treatment on acetylcholine-induced desensitization of the muscarinic contractile response in guinea pig ileum. Incubation of the isolated ileum with acetylcholine (30 microM) for 20 min caused a decrease in the sensitivity of the ileum to the contractile action of the muscarinic agonist oxotremorine-M. This desensitization was characterized by an increase in the EC(50) value of oxotremorine-M without a change in its maximal effect. A maximal 4- to 5-fold increase in the EC(50) value of oxotremorine-M was measured at the earliest time investigated after acetylcholine treatment (5 min), and normal sensitivity recovered within approximately 20 min after washout of acetylcholine. Treatment of the ileum with pertussis toxin caused a small increase in the contractile response to oxotremorine-M when measured without prior exposure to acetylcholine. After exposure to acetylcholine, little desensitization was observed in ilea that had been treated with pertussis toxin. Pertussis toxin-treatment caused a small increase in oxotremorine-M-mediated phosphoinositide hydrolysis and a large decrease in oxotremorine-M-mediated inhibition of forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation in slices of the longitudinal muscle of the ileum. Exposure of the ileum to acetylcholine had no desensitizing effect on the ability of oxotremorine-M to elicit phosphoinositide hydrolysis, indicating that the mechanism for desensitization of the contractile response occurs at a level downstream from the receptor and phosphoinositide hydrolysis. Our results suggest that activation of muscarinic receptors coupled to pertussis toxin-sensitive G(i) and G(o) is required for most of the desensitization observed in this study.

We have studied the role of M(2) and M(3) muscarinic receptors in acetylcholine-mediated desensitization of the contractile response to histamine in the guinea pig ileum. Treatment of the isolated ileum with acetylcholine (30 microM) for 20 min caused a marked desensitization of the contractile response to histamine. When measured 5 min after washout of acetylcholine, the EC(50) value of histamine increased 5.8-fold compared with that estimated before acetylcholine treatment, whereas the maximal response was unaffected. This shift in the EC(50) value of histamine was maximal at the earliest time measured after acetylcholine treatment (5 min), and normal sensitivity recovered in approximately 20 min. Acetylcholine-induced desensitization was prevented by uncoupling of M(2) receptors from G(i) with pertussis toxin or by selective inactivation of M(3) receptors with N-2-chloroethyl-4-piperidinyl diphenylacetate (4-DAMP mustard). The shifts in the EC(50) values of histamine measured 5 min after acetylcholine treatment were only 2.0- and 1.8-fold in pertussis toxin- and 4-DAMP mustard-treated ilea, respectively. Both pertussis toxin- and 4-DAMP mustard-treatment had little or no effect on histamine-induced contractions in control ileum. Measurement of histamine-stimulated inositol phosphate accumulation in the longitudinal muscle of the ileum showed little or no inhibitory effect of prior exposure to acetylcholine, indicating that the majority of the heterologous desensitization occurs downstream from phospholipase Cbeta activation. Collectively, our results suggest that activation of both M(2) and M(3) receptors is required for heterologous desensitization of histamine-mediated contractions in the guinea pig ileum.

The hormone receptor-like protein Gpr1p physically interacts with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (Plc1p) and with the Galpha protein Gpa2p, as shown by two-hybrid assays and co-immune precipitation of epitope-tagged proteins. Plc1p binds to Gpr1p in either the presence or absence of Gpa2, whereas the Gpr1p/Gpa2p association depends on the presence of Plc1p. Genetic interactions between the null mutations plc1Delta, gpr1Delta, gpa2Delta, and ras2Delta suggest that Plc1p acts together with Gpr1p and Gpa2p in a growth control pathway operating in parallel to the Ras2p function. Diploid cells lacking Gpr1p, Plc1p, or Gpa2p fail to form pseudohyphae upon nitrogen depletion, and the filamentation defect of gpr1Delta and plc1Delta strains is rescued by activating a mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway via STE11-4 or by activating a cAMP pathway via overexpressed Tpk2p. Plc1p is also required for efficient expression of the FG(TyA)::lacZ reporter gene under nitrogen depletion. In conclusion, we have identified two physically interacting proteins, Gpr1p and Plc1p, as novel components of a nitrogen signaling pathway controlling the developmental switch from yeast-like to pseudohyphal growth. Our data suggest that phospholipase C modulates the interaction of the putative nutrient sensor Gpr1p with the Galpha protein Gpa2p as a downstream effector of filamentation control.

CSF samples were obtained from 44 multiple sclerosis patients during exacerbation and from 50 age and sex-matched non-multiple sclerosis controls. In an attempt to select the most suitable test for diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, each sample was analyzed by three methods: (1) electrophoresis, (2) electroirmmunodiffusion, and (3) radial imrnunodiffusion (RID). Electrophoresis, electroimmunodiffusion, and radial imrnunodiffusion yielded positive results in 50, 55, and 59 percent of the multiple sclerosis patients respectively. Electrophoresis, electroimmunodiffusion, and radial imrnunodiffusion yielded 10,12, and 8 percent false positives (beyond mean ± 1 S.D.) respectively. Thus the three tests did not differ much with regard to yield of true or false positive results. When factors such as simplicity, time and equipment involved, and the interval between the test and results are taken into account, radial imrnunodiffusion appears to be most suitable for an average CSF diagnostic laboratory. For a laboratory with special interest in multiple sclerosis, agarose gel-electrophoresis of concentrated CSF appears to be the test of choice.

Myelin basic protein was extracted from frontal lobe white matter obtained at autopsy from seven individuals ranging in age from 72 to 78 years. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons were made between basic protein from this group and that extracted from another group of individuals ranging in age from 45 to 65 years. The basic protein content of the older brains was considerably lower than that of the younger brains. Qualitative studies that included assay for encephalitogenic activity, disk gel electrophoresis at pH 4.3, and immunoprecipitation did not reveal any difference in the basic protein derived from the two age groups. Possible factors that may help explain the decreased basic protein content of the aged brain are discussed.

Relative to the present-day need for offshore operations involving the use of moored vessels, mooring system design has become quite complex. Since a proper choice of mooring line components in the form of anchors, clump weights, chains and cables is vital for vessel station-keeping and mooring system survival, the adequacy of the mooring system under consideration must be checked out by suitable analysis techniques. This paper gives a general discussion of the various mooring line components available for use, presents an analysis tool to determine the stiffness characteristics of a multicomponent cable including the effect of line stretch, and demonstrates how these could be included in the dynamic analysis of an offshore construction vessel moored by a multileg anchoring system. The maximum limiting tension of the mooring line considered, which is a combination of anchors, clump weights, chains and cables is determined from the several breaking strengths and anchor capacities associated with the various cable configurations that can occur. Finally, in order to illustrate a practical application, the dynamic response of a moored production barge subjected to external environmental forces is examined.

Myelin basic proteins were isolated from six different anatomic sites of the human nervous system and were compared with regard to the yield, encephalitogenic activity, and electrophoretic pattern in polyacrylamide gel. The yield of basic proteins decreased progressively from the central to the peripheral nervous system. Basic protein extracted from human oculomotor nerve induced experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in 44 percent of guinea pigs injected with the extract. Patterns obtained after electrophoresis in 15 percent and 5 percent acrylamide gels at pH 4.3 and 10.6 for proteins from different anatomic sites were compared, and regional variation in chemical composition was found. This may account for preferential involvement of specific anatomic sites in certain neurologic diseases.

On the basis of positive serum and spinal fluid serology, suggestive angiographic findings, and response to antibiotic therapy, a diagnosis of meningovascular syphilis was made in a 42-year-old man with right hemiparesis and asphasia of gradual onset. Angiography showed smooth concentric narrowing of the distal internal carotid arteries as well as narrowing and/or occlusion of the anterior and middle cerebral arteries and their branches. These angiographic findings can be differentiated from those associated with atherosclerotic vascular disease and correlate well with the usual pathologic features of meningovascular syphilis. The increasing incidence and frequent atypical presentation of syphilis underscore the importance of considering this diagnosis in patients with focal neurologic disease or suggestive angiographic findings.

Abstract: This paper deals with a study of stress-concentration factors in finite rectangular plates with rectangular inserts. The paper includes the effects of insert size and its orientation on stress concentrations. Photoelastic models for this investigation are made from hard and soft plastics having different elastic properties.

An anchoring system for an offshore structure must meet certain prescribed requirements controlled by factors such as the site environment, operational constraints and the vessel employed. Its adequacy, survival and ability to stay on site must, therefore, be checked out with proper methods of analysis. The inclusion of cable dynamics is an important consideration in the dynamic analysis of a moored vessel. In this paper, mooring line equations of motion are derived for a multi-component, n-segment model using Lagrange’s modified equation, permitting anchor motion, and then numerically solved to yield time histories of cable displacements and cable tensions for the various cable configurations that can occur. Initial conditions can be provided through the mooring line static catenary equations. The nonlinear restoring force terms in the vessel equations of motion are generated through the dynamic tension- displacement characteristics of individual lines. The equations of motion of the moored vessel subjected to an open ocean environment are then numerically solved to yield time histories of vessel motions and cable tensions. An example involving a moored production barge is examined and results are compared with those of previous work in which a quasi-static cable configuration is employed.

Glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) activity was assayed in normal cerebral gray and white matter samples obtained from frontal, temporal, occipital and parietal lobes during surgical approach to an underlying lesion, and also in normal autopsied human frontal gray and white matter. GSHPx was assayed by a 2 step enzyme reaction which was monitored by following the oxidation of NADPH at 340 nm. It was found that all the brain samples studied contained GSHPx activity. Parietal lobe appeared to have the lowest GSHPx activity compared to temporal, occipital or frontal lobes. Mean enzyme activity in autopsied samples was comparable to that in surgical material. However, considerable loss of activity was observed after 10 years of tissue storage at -80°C.

This paper is concerned with the significance of the effects of shear deformation, rotatory inertia, and Coriolis forces in the analysis of turbine blade vibrations. Since these are quite pronounced at the high frequency ranges encountered in turbine blade vibration problems, they should not be overlooked although their inclusion paves the way for a complicated nonlinear analysis. An approximate analysis technique is presented which involves an application of the stationary functional method using the normal modes of a discretized model. Numerical results for a typical blade are obtained and discussed. An advantage of this analysis as applied to a lumped parameter model is that nonlinear modes higher than the fundamental can also be easily computed and assessed.

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