Increased expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy

Aim: The molecular mechanism of epileptogenesis in temporal lobe epilepsy is still unclear. Experimental studies have suggested that matrix metalloproteinases have important roles in this process, but human studies are limited. The aim of this study was to assess the expression of MMP-9, MMP-2 and their tissue inhibitors (TIMP-1 and TIMP-2) in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (TLE-HS). Material and Methods: The tissue samples from temporal neocortex and hippocampus were obtained from patients with temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis who had undergone anterior temporal lobectomy for recurrent medically resistant seizures. Immunohistochemical methods were used to determine the expression of MMP-9, MMP-2 and their tissue inhibitors. Tissue samples were also analyzed with transmission electron microscopy. Results: The immunoreactivity for MMP-9 both in hippocampal and temporal neocortical neurons was stronger than that of MMP-2. Additionally, there was a mild reaction for its tissue inhibitor TIMP-1 as with TIMP-2. The TEM analysis of the hippocampus revealed that there was apparent ultra-structural damage on the pericarya and neuropil of some neurons. There was obvious damage in the mitochondria and the nuclear membrane. Conclusion: The preliminary results of this study revealed that MMP-9 may have a role in patients with drug resistant TLE-HS

(p,q)-Generalization of Szasz-Mirakyan Operators

In this paper, we introduce new modifications of Szasz-Mirakyan operators based on (p,q)-integers. We first give a recurrence relation for the moments of new operators and present explicit formula for the moments and central moments up to order 4. Some approximation properties of new operators are explored: the uniform convergence over bounded and unbounded intervals is established, direct approximation properties of the operators in terms of the moduli of smoothness is obtained and Voronovskaya theorem is presented. For the particular case p=1, the previous results for q-Szasz-Mirakyan operators are captured

Scalable Tensor Factorizations for Incomplete Data

The problem of incomplete data - i.e., data with missing or unknown values - in multi-way arrays is ubiquitous in biomedical signal processing, network traffic analysis, bibliometrics, social network analysis, chemometrics, computer vision, communication networks, etc. We consider the problem of how to factorize data sets with missing values with the goal of capturing the underlying latent structure of the data and possibly reconstructing missing values (i.e., tensor completion). We focus on one of the most well-known tensor factorizations that captures multi-linear structure, CANDECOMP/PARAFAC (CP). In the presence of missing data, CP can be formulated as a weighted least squares problem that models only the known entries. We develop an algorithm called CP-WOPT (CP Weighted OPTimization) that uses a first-order optimization approach to solve the weighted least squares problem. Based on extensive numerical experiments, our algorithm is shown to successfully factorize tensors with noise and up to 99% missing data. A unique aspect of our approach is that it scales to sparse large-scale data, e.g., 1000 x 1000 x 1000 with five million known entries (0.5% dense). We further demonstrate the usefulness of CP-WOPT on two real-world applications: a novel EEG (electroencephalogram) application where missing data is frequently encountered due to disconnections of electrodes and the problem of modeling computer network traffic where data may be absent due to the expense of the data collection process

Using the Inquiry-based Learning Approach to Enhance Student Innovativeness: A Conceptual Model

Individual innovativeness has become one of the most important employability skills for university graduates. In this paper, we focus on how students could be better prepared to be innovative in the workplace, and we argue that inquiry-based learning (IBL) – a pedagogical approach in which students follow the inquiry-based processes used by scientists to construct knowledge – can be effective for this purpose. Drawing on research which examines the social and cognitive micro-foundations of innovative behaviour, we develop a conceptual model that links IBL and student innovativeness, and introduce three teacher-controlled design elements that can influence the strength of this relationship, namely whether an inquiry is open or closed, discovery-focused or information focused and individual or teambased. We argue that an open, discovery-focused and team-based inquiry offers the greatest potential for enhancing students’ skills in innovation. This paper has several implications for higher education research and practice

Determination of plasticity following deformation and welding of austenitic stainless steel

Intergranular strain has been associated with high-temperature cracking of welded pipework in 316H austenitic stainless steel material used in nuclear power plant heat exchangers. In this study, neutron diffraction has been used to study the development of intergranular strains in plastically-deformed and welded 316H stainless steel. Measurements have been made of the intergranular strain evolution with increasing plastic strain in base material, and correlated with further measurements made in samples extracted from welded pipes, where the pipes were welded following plastic deformation to different levels of plastic strain. Strong tensile strain evolution was seen on the compliant 200 grain family. The results were correlated with various proxy measures of plastic strain, including hardness and diffraction peak width, and excellent agreement was obtained

Proceedings of the Conference on Emerging Economic Issues in a Globalizing World

Until 2006, trade policy of the European Union (EU) had mainly been focused on multilateralism embraced by the Doha Development Agenda (DDA). Meanwhile, the EU maintained an effective suspension on the opening of bilateral or regional negotiations where their increasing number was considered a ‘spaghetti bowl’ that creates problems for the international trading system. However, the suspension of the DDA negotiations in July 2006 forced the EU to reveal a new trade policy with the motto of “rejection of protectionism at home, accompanied by activism in creating open markets and fair conditions for trade abroad” which focuses on the removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade of goods and services. Consequently, the EU gave pace to signing FTAs with its significant trade partners. This new trade strategy based on increasing FTAs and thus on bilateralism, which aims at the highest possible degree of trade, investment, and services liberalization, targets regulatory convergence and the abolishment of non-tariff barriers beside stronger provisions on intellectual property rights and competition. This paper discusses whether the new trade strategy of the EU leads to a distraction of the EU’s trade policy focus from multilateralism to bilateralism or it still remains committed to the WTO.Multilateralism, Bilateralism, trade policy, Free Trade Agreements