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King Nabonidus’ (556–539 BCE) military campaigns in the Levant and his long sojourn in Arabia are well known, and evidence of his activities in the area of Udummu (Edom) is found in the impressive cuneiform inscription and relief carved at the site of al-Sila‛ (Sela) in Jordan. The study of the inscription presented here comprises the documentation of the monument, the digital treatment of the data obtained, and the epigraphic, textual and historical analysis of the cuneiform inscription.

Objectives A prospective cohort study was conducted in Italy in order to describe the microbiologic aspects of colonization/infection by carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) in donors and recipients of lung and liver transplants and the possible CPE transmission from donors to recipients. Methods Between 15 January 2014 and 14 January 2015, all recipients of solid organ transplants (SOT) at ten lung and eight liver transplantation centres and the corresponding donors were enrolled. Screening cultures to detect CPE were performed in donors, and screening and clinical cultures in recipients with a 28-day microbiologic follow-up after receipt of SOT. Detection of carbapenemase genes by PCR, genotyping by multilocus sequence typing, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and whole-genome sequencing were performed. Results Of 588 screened donors, 3.4% were colonized with CPE. Of the liver first transplant recipients (n = 521), 2.5% were colonized before receipt of SOT and 5% acquired CPE during follow-up. CPE colonization was higher in lung first transplant recipients (n = 111, 2.7% before SOT and 14.4% after SOT). CPE infections occurred in 1.9% and 5.3% of liver or lung recipients, respectively. CPE isolates were mostly Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing K. pneumoniae belonging to CG258. Three events of donor–recipient CPE transmission, confirmed by whole-genome sequencing and/or pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, occurred in lung recipients: two involving K. pneumoniae sequence type 512 and one Verona integron-encoded metallo-β-lactamase (VIM)-producing Enterobacter aerogenes. Conclusions This study showed a low risk of donor–recipient CPE transmission, indicating that donor CPE colonization does not necessarily represent a contraindication for donation unless colonization regards the organ to be transplanted. Donor and recipient screening remains essential to prevent CPE transmission and cross-infection in transplantation centres.

Soybean (Glycine max) is a species of legume native to East Asia and used in childhood diet for over 2,000 years in the East. Soy protein formulas have been available for almost a century. Nowadays, the increase in cow's milk allergy and vegetarian dietary preferences are driving consumers toward cow's milk alternatives. In this paper, we reviewed the nutritional composition of soy-based infant formula and discussed their possible use in pediatric age, mainly focusing on prevention and treatment of cow's milk allergy. Protein quality is determined by digestibility and amino acid content. Purified or concentrated vegetable proteins (e.g., soy protein and gluten) have high digestibility (>95%), similar to those of animal ones. For some intact vegetable products (e.g., whole cereals and pulses), protein digestibility is lower (80–90%). Food processing and heat treatment also influence protein digestibility. Considering these data, we tried to evaluate the possible use of soybean and derivatives in pediatric age, including the nutritional composition of soy formulas and the clinical indications for their use. Moreover, since plant-based beverages are being perceived as healthy by consumers and their use is growing on the market, we recommend that soy drink should not be used as a substitute for infant formulas or cow's milk in children younger than 24 months.

To compare the impact of different formulas on the occurrence of other atopic manifestations and the time of immune tolerance acquisition.In a 36-month prospective cohort study, the occurrence of other atopic manifestations (eczema, urticaria, asthma, and rhinoconjunctivitis) and the time of immune tolerance acquisition were comparatively evaluated in immunoglobulin E-mediated children with cow's milk allergy (CMA) treated with extensively hydrolyzed casein formula containing the probiotic L. rhamnosus GG (EHCF + LGG), rice hydrolyzed formula, soy formula, extensively hydrolyzed whey formula (EHWF), or amino acid-based formula.In total, 365 subjects were enrolled into the study, 73 per formula cohort. The incidence of atopic manifestations was 0.22 (Bonferroni-corrected 95% CI 0.09-0.34) in the EHCF + LGG cohort; 0.52 (0.37-0.67) in the rice hydrolyzed formula cohort; 0.58 (0.43-0.72) in the soy formula cohort; 0.51 (0.36-0.66) in the EHWF cohort; and 0.77 (0.64-0.89) in the amino acid-based formula cohort. The incidence of atopic manifestations in the rice hydrolyzed formula, soy formula, EHWF, and amino acid-based formula cohorts vs the EHCF + LGG cohort was always greater than the prespecified absolute difference of 0.25 at an alpha-level of 0.0125, with corresponding risk ratios of 2.37 (1.46-3.86, P .001) for rice hydrolyzed formula vs EHCF + LGG; 2.62 (1.63-4.22, P .001) for soy formula vs EHCF + LGG; 2.31 (1.42-3.77, P .001) for EHWF vs EHCF + LGG; and 3.50 (2.23-5.49, P .001) for amino acid-based formula vs EHCF + LGG. The 36-month immune tolerance acquisition rate was greater in the EHCF + LGG cohort.The use of EHCF + LGG for CMA treatment is associated with lower incidence of atopic manifestations and greater rate of immune tolerance acquisition.

Infections are a major complication of solid organ transplants (SOTs). This study aimed to describe recipients’ characteristics, and the frequency and etiology of infections and transplant outcome in liver and lung SOTs, and to investigate exposures associated to infection and death in liver transplant recipients. The study population included recipients of SOTs performed in Italy during a 1-year period in ten Italian lung transplant units and eight liver transplant units. Data on comorbidities, infections, retransplantation, and death were prospectively collected using a web-based system, with a 6-month follow-up. The cumulative incidence of infection was 31.7% and 47.8% in liver and lung transplants, respectively, with most infections occurring within the first month after transplantation. Gram-negatives, which were primarily multidrug-resistant, were the most frequent cause of infection. Death rates were 0.42 per 1000 recipient-days in liver transplants and 1.41 per 1000 recipient-days in lung transplants. Infection after SOT in adult liver recipients is associated to an increased risk of death (OR = 13.25; p-value < 0.001). Given the frequency of infection caused by multidrug-resistant microorganisms in SOT recipients in Italy and the heavy impact of infections on the transplant outcome, the reinforcement of surveillance and control activities to prevent the transmission of multidrug-resistant microorganisms in SOT recipients represents a priority. The implementation of the study protocol in liver and lung transplant units and the sharing of results have increased the awareness about the threat due to antimicrobial resistance in the country.

Being a particle physics laboratory, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) plans, constructs, and maintains installations emitting ionizing radiation during operation. Activation of present material is a consequence. Hence, fire scenarios for certain CERN installations must take into account the presence of radioactive material. Releases of gaseous, liquid, or solid combustion products, e.g., attached to aerosols, are taken so far into account by a worst case approach. Scenarios taking place in underground installations assume hence a smoke transport coefficient of 100% of release toward the surface level, independent of the local geometry. For a radioactive inventory identified in a certain fire load, this results in a conservative release.To overcome this conservative worst case approach, a computational fluid dynamics model based on FM Global’s fireFoam 2.2.x is proposed. Its Lagrangian library was modified in order to provide aerosol release and deposition information based on ...

We describe a combined ultrasonic instrument for continuous gas flow measurement and simultaneous real-time binary gas mixture analysis. In the instrument, sound bursts are transmitted in opposite directions, which may be aligned with the gas flow path or at an angle to it, the latter configuration being the best adapted to high flow rates. The combined flow measurement and mixture analysis algorithm exploits the phenomenon whereby the sound velocity in a binary gas mixture at known temperature and pressure is a unique function of the molar concentration of the two components. The instrument is central to a possible upgrade to the present ATLAS silicon tracker cooling system in which octafluoropropane (C F ) evaporative cooling fluid would be replaced by a blend containing up to 25% hexafluoroethane (C 2 F 6 ). The instrument has been developed in two geometries following computational fluid dynamics studies of various mechanical layouts. An instrument with 45 crossing angle has been installed for commissioning in the ATLAS silicon tracker cooling system. It can be used in gas flows up to 20 000 l.min -1 and has demonstrated a flow resolution of 2.3% of full scale for linear flow velocities up to 10 m.s in preliminary studies with air. Other instruments are currently used to detect low levels of C 2 F 8 vapor leaking into the N 2 environmental gas surrounding the ATLAS silicon tracker. A long-duration continuous study of more than a year has demonstrated a sensitivity to mixture variation of better than 5.10 -5 .

The Nebuchadnezzar II prism EŞ 7834 (Istanbul Archaeological Museum) is an unusual royal inscription. It refers to the building works to enlarge the Old Palace at Babylon, and it is stylistically related to the Nebuchadnezzar building inscription preserved on cylinder C34. But EŞ 7834 also contains long lists of provincial and imperial officials, which can be used as a base to study the administrative structures of the Neo-Babylonian state.

This paper describes the photodegradation behavior of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons present in different types of fossil fuels (commercial diesel, Arabian light crude, heavy fuel oil from the Prestige oil spill and coal from an abandoned coal dump) suspended in artificial seawater or ultrapure water, under irradiation in a stirred photochemical reactor for 14 days. The reactor was continuously fed with air from a compressor at a constant rate of 6 NL h−1, and thin films of TiO2 (anatase) supported on pyrex glass raschig rings were used as catalyst. Dark control samples were carried out simultaneously for all the experiments, and both phases, aqueous and organic, were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry in the experimental and dark control samples, allowing to calculate a photodegradation ratio. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons reached a high degree of photodegradation in the water-soluble fraction of the samples, but the organic fractions remained almost unaffected in most of the experiments. Some photodegradation products have been also identified in the aqueous and organic fractions of the samples.

The design and the performance of an innovative shell-and-tube evaporator using round copper microchannels are presented in this article. This prototype has been designed aiming at the minimization of the refrigerant charge, which can be required by safety or environmental restrictions. Experimental data of heat transfer and pressure drop are reported in the present article. The measurements have been obtained with two different evaporator inlet headers and two different working fluids (i.e., R22 and R410A) to investigate the mutual influence of the design of the distribution system and the refrigerant properties on possible maldistribution issues. A computational procedure implementing different correlations has also been developed and validated against experimental data; this procedure allows the prediction of the performance of the same evaporator with a hydrocarbon, such as propane, and comparison of the prototype to a brazed-plate heat exchanger.

Synovial sarcoma (SS) is the most frequent nonrhabdomyosarcomatous soft tissue sarcoma encountered in adolescents and young adults, and despite advances in the treatment of local disease, metastases remain the main cause of death. The aim of this study was to characterize a single-center series of pediatric SS molecularly to seek any biomarkers or pathways that might make suitable targets for new agents. Seventeen cases of pediatric SS showing the SYT-SSX fusion transcript were screened immunohistochemically, biochemically, molecularly, and cytogenetically (depending on the available material) to investigate any expression/activation of epidermal growth factor receptor, platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRα), PDGFRβ, Akt, and deregulated Wnt pathway. The most relevant outcome was the finding of activated epidermal growth factor receptor, PDGFRα, and PDGFRβ, which activated Akt in both the monophasic and biphasic histologic subtypes. Consistently, Akt activation was completely abolished in an SS cell line assay when stimulated by PDGF-AA and treated with the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor LY294002. Our results also showed the nuclear localization of β-catenin and cyclin D1 gene products in monophasic SS and the movement of β-catenin into the cytoplasm in the glandular component of the biphasic subtype. Although they need to be confirmed in larger series, these preliminary data suggest that therapeutic strategies including specific inhibitors of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway might be exploited in SS. © 2008 Neoplasia Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

This volume includes critical and collated editions of all the inscriptions of the 1st-millennium Babylonian kings Nabopolassar (626-605), Amel-Marduk (biblical Evil-Merodach, 561-560), and Neriglissar (559-556). The editions are preceded by an introduction and followed by a glossary, indices of toponyms, anthroponyms, theonyms, and a concordance. The volume includes a CD-ROM with high-definition full-color images of the inscriptions.

We describe a combined ultrasonic instrument for continuous gas flow measurement and simultaneous real-time binary gas mixture analysis. In the instrument, sound bursts are transmitted in opposite directions, which may be aligned with the gas flow path or at an angle to it, the latter configuration being the best adapted to high flow rates. Custom electronics based on Microchip® dsPIC and ADuC847 microcontrollers transmits 50kHz ultrasound pulses and measures transit times in the two directions together with the process gas temperature and pressure. The combined flow measurement and mixture analysis algorithm exploits the phenomenon whereby the sound velocity in a binary gas mixture at known temperature and pressure is a unique function of the molar concentration of the two components. The instrument is central to a possible upgrade to the present ATLAS silicon tracker cooling system in which octafluoropropane (C3F8) evaporative cooling fluid would be replaced by a blend containing up to 25% hexafluoroethane (C2F6). Such a blend will allow a lower evaporation temperature and will afford the tracker silicon substrates a better safety margin against leakage current-induced thermal runaway caused by cumulative radiation damage as the luminosity profile at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) increases. The instrument has been developed in two geometries following computational fluid dynamics studies of various mechanical layouts. An instrument with 45° crossing angle has been built in stainless steel and installed for commissioning in the ATLAS silicon tracker evaporative fluorocarbon cooling system. It can be used in gas flows up to 20000 l.min-1, and has demonstrated a flow resolution of 2.3% of full scale for linear flow velocities up to 10 m.s-1 in preliminary studies with air. Other instruments are currently used to detect low levels of C3F8 vapour leaking into the N2 environmental gas surrounding the ATLAS silicon tracker. Gas from several parts of the tracker is aspirated through two instruments and analyzed. A long duration continuous study of more than a year has demonstrated a sensitivity to mixture variation of better than 5.10-5. The developed instrument has many applications where continuous knowledge of binary gas composition is required. Such applications include anaesthesia, the analysis of hydrocarbon mixtures, and vapour mixtures for semiconductor manufacture.

Precision sound velocity measurements can simultaneously determine binary gas composition and flow. We have developed an analyzer with custom electronics, currently in use in the ATLAS inner detector, with numerous potential applications. The instrument has demonstrated ~0.3% mixture precision for C3F8/C2F6 mixtures and < 10-4 resolution for N2/C3F8 mixtures. Moderate and high flow versions of the instrument have demonstrated flow resolutions of +/- 2% F.S. for flows up to 250 l.min-1, and +/- 1.9% F.S. for linear flow velocities up to 15 ms-1; the latter flow approaching that expected in the vapour return of the thermosiphon fluorocarbon coolant recirculator being built for the ATLAS silicon tracker., Paper submitted to TWEPP2012; Topical Workshop on Electronics for Particle Physics, Oxford, UK, September 17-21, 2012. KEYWORDS: Sonar; Saturated fluorocarbons; Flowmetry; Sound velocity, Gas mixture analysis. 8 pages, 7 figures

An upgrade to the ATLAS silicon tracker cooling control system may require a change from C3F8 (octafluoro-propane) evaporative coolant to a blend containing 10-25% of C2F6 (hexafluoro-ethane). Such a change will reduce the evaporation temperature to assure thermal stability following radiation damage accumulated at full LHC luminosity. Central to this upgrade is a new ultrasonic instrument in which sound transit times are continuously measured in opposite directions in flowing gas at known temperature and pressure to deduce the C3F8/C2F6 flow rate and mixture composition. The instrument and its Supervisory, Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) software are described in this paper. Several geometries for the instrument are in use or under evaluation. An instrument with a pinched axial geometry intended for analysis and measurement of moderate flow rates has demonstrated a mixture resolution of 3.10-3 for C3F8/C2F6 molar mixtures with 20%C2F6, and a flow resolution of 2% of full scale for mass flows up to 30gs-1. In mixtures of widely-differing molecular weight (mw), higher mixture precision is possible: a sensitivity of, 30 pages, 24 figures, 3 tables KEYWORDS: Sonar; Saturated fluorocarbons; Flowmetry; Sound velocity, Gas mixture analysis

Background Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most frequent mesenchymal tumors to develop in the digestive tract. These tumors are highly resistant to conventional chemotherapy and only the introduction of imatinib mesylate has improved the prognosis of patients. However, Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors are inappropriate for assessing tumor response, and the histological/pathological response to imatinib is variable, heterogeneous, and does not associate with clinical response. The effects of imatinib on responding GISTs are still being explored, and few studies correlate the clinical response with the histological response after pharmacological treatment. Recently, apoptosis and autophagy were suggested as possible alternative mechanisms of pharmacological response. Methods Here, we used a proteomic approach, combined with other analyses, to identify some molecular stromal components related to the response/behavior of resected, high-risk GISTs after neoadiuvant imatinib therapy. Results Our proteomic results indicate an elevated concentration of Stem Cell Growth Factor (SCGF), a hematopoietic growth factor having a role in the development of erythroid and myeloid progenitors, in imatinib-responsive tumor areas. SCGFα expression was detected by mass spectrometry, immunohistochemistry and/or western blot and attributed to acellular matrix of areas scored negative for KIT (CD117). RT-PCR results indicated that GIST samples did not express SCGF transcripts. The recently reported demonstration by Gundacker et al. [1] of the secretion of SCGF in mature pro-inflammatory dendritic cells would indicate a potential importance of SCGF in tissue inflammatory response. Accordingly, inflammatory infiltrates were detected in imatinib-affected areas and the CD68-positivity of the SCGF-positive and KIT-negative areas suggested previous infiltration of monocytes/macrophages into these regions. Thus, chronic inflammation subsequent to imatinib treatment may determine monocyte/macrophage recruitment in imatinib-damaged areas; these areas also feature prominent tumor-cell loss that is replaced by dense hyalinization and fibrosis. Conclusions Our studies highlight a possible role of SCGFα in imatinib-induced changes of GIST structure, consistent with a therapeutic response.

17 pp.-- Final full-text version of the paper available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2006.09.023., The OSIRIS cameras on the Rosetta spacecraft observed Comet 9P/Tempel 1 from 5 days before to 10 days after it was hit by the Deep Impact projectile. The Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) monitored the cometary dust in 5 different filters. The Wide Angle Camera (WAC) observed through filters sensitive to emissions from OH, CN, Na, and OI together with the associated continuum. Before and after the impact the comet showed regular variations in intensity. The period of the brightness changes is consistent with the rotation period of Tempel 1. The overall brightness of Tempel 1 decreased by about 10% during the OSIRIS observations. The analysis of the impact ejecta shows that no new permanent coma structures were created by the impact. Most of the material moved with ~ 200 m/s. Much of it left the comet in the form of icy grains which sublimated and fragmented within the first hour after the impact. The light curve of the comet after the impact and the amount of material leaving the comet (4.5 - 9 x 10e6 of water ice and a presumably larger amount of dust) suggest that the impact ejecta were quickly accelerated by collisions with gas molecules. Therefore, the motion of the bulk of the ejecta cannot be described by ballistic trajectories, and the validity of determinations of the density and tensile strength of the nucleus of Tempel 1 with models using ballistic ejection of particles is uncertain., The OSIRIS imaging system on board Rosetta is managed by the Max-Planck-Institute for Solar System Research in Katlenburg-Lindau (Germany), thanks to an International collaboration between Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Sweden. We acknowledge the funding of the national space agencies ASI, CNES, DLR, the Spanish Space Program (Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia), SNSB and ESA. IRAF is distributed by the National Optical Astronomy Observatories, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA) under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. We acknowledge JPL's Horizons online ephemeris generator for providing the comet's position and rate of motion during the observations. This research has made use of NASA's Astrophysics Data System.