Using a monoclonal antibody to chondroitin 6-sulfate, a major constituent of the cone matrix sheath, the location of the cone matrix sheath and the relative distribution of interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) was examined by light and electron microscopic immunocytochemistry. Chondroitin 6-sulfate immunoreactivity was localized to regions surrounding cone outer and inner segments...

Peer-to-Peer systems become popular applications but suffer from insufficient resource availability which is caused by free-riders and inefficient lookup algorithms. To address the first cause, a number of recent works have focused on providing appropriate incentive mechanisms to encourage participants to contribute their resources to the P2P systems. To improve the lookup efficiency, locality-...

BACKGROUND Although carbapenems are the primary treatment strategy for invasive infections caused by ESBL bacteria, case reports of these pathogens with reduced carbapenem susceptibility have emerged. One potential treatment modality is to optimize the use of anti-infectives with combination therapy. We evaluated the activity of carbapenems alone and in combination with amikacin against these c...

A low pesticide input management system for celery, Apium graveolens, was developed and implemented. The overall effectiveness of this system was compared with a conventional pesticide application program and an untreated control, over 4 years in ®eld station trials, and then implemented in a commercial trial. The low-input program relied on biological control agents and rotations of selective,...

Although it is the major soluble protein component of the extracellular matrix bathing the photoreceptors, little is known about the structure and function of interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP). The critical anatomic compartment it occupies cannot be overemphasized as through the involution of the optic vesicle, the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) comes in contact with the ne...

The protection of cultivated crops against pests (insect pests, diseases and weeds) requires the integration of biological control and other ecologically based pestmanagement practices that also protect the environment and the health of the population, and ensure a satisfactory economic return to farmers. Despite the amount of resources and time invested in this area, biological control is stil...

Current bed bug, Cimex lectularius L., control usually involves insecticide applications that pose a high risk of insecticide exposure to residents and applicators. To minimize these risks and the amount of insecticides used, we designed and evaluated a dust band treatment technique. The laboratory assay showed that 1% cyßuthrin dust treated bands are highly effective in killing bed bugs. We fu...

This review focuses on the process of adapting the original concept of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to the wider conception of the Integrated Fruit Production (IFP) implemented in Europe. Even though most of the pest management strategies still rely on the use of synthetic pesticides, a wide array of innovative and environmentally friendly tools are now available as possible alternative to ...

Optimization refers to the minimization (or maximization) of an objective function of several decision variables that have to satisfy specified constraints. There are many applications of optimization. One example is the portfolio optimization problem where we seek the best way to invest some capital in a set of n assets. The constraints might represent a limit on the budget (i.e., a limit on t...

Background: Distinguishing synchronous double primary lung adenocarcinoma (SDPLA) from intrapulmonary metastasis (IPM) of cancer has significant therapeutic and prognostic values. This study aimed to develop validate a CT-based radiomics model differentiate SDPLA IPM.